Best of Rivals, Best of Duelists
by Groudon202
Summary: Joey and Yugi must face each other to determine who will face Pegasus. To everyone's surprise, Kaiba steps in to duel in Yugi's place. Now Joey is duelling not only for his sister and friends, but to prove his skills to Kaiba after his embarrassing defeat last time.
1. Brutal Beat-Down! Joey Vs Kaiba! Part 1

**I suppose this requires a bit of background. This is an alternate version of one of the duels during the Duelist Kingdom arc in Season 1 of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. For those of you who are put off by the comparative simplicity of those duels compared to how the card game plays out now, don't worry – this is as complex and exciting a duel as could be hoped for, and it follows the established Duelist Kingdom rules exactly, with no sudden rules introduced just for plot, as many episodes there do. The background is as follows:**

 **After Yugi and the others enter the castle at the start of Episode 26, Pegasus informs Kaiba and Yugi that since they both entered the castle with enough star chips, and there are five duelists when there can only be four finalists, Yugi and Kaiba must share a final spot. They are allowed to let either of them duel any duel, though should one of them lose, they are both eliminated. Should they win the semi-finals and the final, both of them may individually challenge Pegasus. Naturally, Kaiba doesn't like this one bit but has no choice but to go along with it. Kaiba tells Yugi that he will let him duel by default as long as Yugi lets Kaiba challenge Pegasus first when they get there.**

 **Therefore, the rest of Episode 26 and Episode 27 (Kaiba's failed attempt at dueling Pegasus for Mokuba's soul) are skipped, with the events of episode 28 merged in (the episode about the night before the finals). Episodes 29 and 30 (Yugi vs. Mai) and Episodes 31 and 32 (Joey vs. Bandit Keith) proceed exactly as they do in the show, the only difference being that Kaiba sulks off before Joey and Keith play, declaring the duel won't last five turns. He returns just as Keith is ejected after losing and attempting to attack Pegasus, and expresses the highest level of shock upon learning that Joey actually beat Keith.**

 **This is where we begin now, at the start of Episode 33 (Best of Friends, Best Of Duelists, Part 1). The first minute and a half of the episode proceeds as it does in the show, but start to vary at that point.**

 **Perhaps this is all just an excuse for a duel between Kaiba and Joey, but seeing as they only ever duel twice, can I be blamed? Especially since Joey was made much stupider for their first duel. This fanfiction will take up four chapters, each chapter corresponding to half of a TV episode. So a chapter end either at the ad break, or at the episode's end. To that end, though the overall fic has a title, I gave the two 'episodes' within here individual titles or their own, following the naming convention of the episodes as they are in the Japanese version. You know, bold dramatic titles that have exclamation marks.**

 **I have already finished this fanfiction, so I will put out a new chapter once a week, on a scheduled basis. Look forward to regular updates for this four-part fanfiction! Though, since I am in the process of getting the last fanfictions I have in my system out before bidding farewell to writing the stuff, don't expect me to be a regular Yu-Gi-Oh! fanfiction writer by any stretch.**

 **I hope you all enjoy this!**

* * *

 **Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists**

Chapter 1: Brutal Beat-Down! Joey Vs. Kaiba! (1/2)

"Joey, wait a sec," said Yugi with anxiety in his voice, and worry all over his face.

"Listen, Yug," said Joey, with a lot more seriousness in his voice. "I hope this isn't about you having any second thoughts duelling me."

"Huh?" Yugi raised his head slightly, his eyes widening a little at Joey's audacity.

"Come on, pal." Joey snapped back, only letting it sound as harsh as was necessary.

"I'm sorry Joey." Yugi let his eyes lower to the card display counter that his fists rested on. "But I don't know if I can do this…"

"Then I'll do it."

"Huh?" Yugi looked up in confusion at these words. Tilting his head behind and up, Yugi saw that none other then Seto Kaiba stood behind him, arms folded and glaring forward as stoic as ever. And Yugi was not the only to be surprised. Up on the balcony, Tea, Tristan and Bakura looked equally shocked, as did Joey, his mouth hanging open a little. Even Croquet was staring in marginal surprise. Pegasus was the only one who showed no reaction, smiling to himself in his chair on the sidelines. He let out a small, bemused chuckle.

"What?" Yugi turned to face Kaiba, still shocked from what Kaiba had proposed. "Kaiba, are you serious?"

"Dead serious, Yugi." Kaiba turned to look down at his duelling rival. Yugi grunted again in surprise. "Look, I can tell that it would be hard for you to go through with this duel. I can understand that. It would be like if I had to duel Mokuba." Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, Pegasus' mouth curled upwards at these words, a chuckle audible to no one but himself escaping briefly. "So let me duel in your place, Yugi."

"I…" Yugi looked down again, his hands uncurling from the loose fists they had been in. "I'm not sure, Kaiba…"

"What a superb idea." Yugi turned, along with Kaiba, to look to the side at Pegasus' throne. "That sounds absolutely wonderful, Kaiba Boy. In fact, it's so wonderful that I'll grant a special privilege to this duel between you and young Joseph. Should you lose, Yugi and Joey can have their duel as normal, if they so wish."

"Oh." Startled briefly, Yugi turned back to Joey. "Well… what do you think, Joey?

"Huh?" Joey, who hadn't moved from his startled state, reprimanded himself, clenching a fist as he grinned. "I think it's a great idea, Yug! Either you get to go straight to Pegasus, or we can duel like we planned! What have you got to lose?"

"Okay then." Yugi turned back to Kaiba. "Go ahead then, Kaiba." Kaiba nodded, and moved past Yugi, stepping up to the ring. He took out his deck from inside his cloak, and placed it down in the Deck Zone on the blue display board, picking up Yugi's deck from the same place. He then turned around and silently handed it out for Yugi. Yugi took the deck slowly, staring as his cards as he pulled his deck close.

"As per the orders of Mr. Maxamillion Pegasus," began Croquet from the sidelines as Yugi began walking back down his side of the conveyor belt, "Seto Kaiba will duel in Yugi Muto's place against Joey Wheeler. Your gracious host will now make a few opening remarks."

"Oh boy," remarked Tristan to the side as Pegasus unfolded his legs and stood up. Pegasus stepped forward a few paces, and cleared his throat.

"Congratulations to both of you. You truly are the finest in the world to make it here. It is for that reason that I look forward to a match that's sure to consist of your dueling best! After all…" Pegasus paused briefly to let his normal eye dart back and forth between Joey and Kaiba before stopping to look straight ahead. "Should you give me anything less, I will know." Pegasus' Millennium Eye flashed under his silver hair, while his normal eye clenched ever so slightly. Pegasus chuckled softly to himself. Kaiba has no response except to clench his fists tighter, and scowl silently. However, he kept his eyes focused on Joey across from himself.

"Listen Kaiba, before we start, I just want to say thanks." Kaiba's eyes unclenched a little, as he looked up in surprise. However, it was short lived, for he smirked, looking down briefly.

"Don't flatter yourself, Wheeler." Kaiba wasn't even looking as Joey as he spoke. "I'm not doing this because I want to duel you. I'd rather watch paint dry." Joey grunted in surprise, forming a glare. "I'm only doing this so I can get to Pegasus quicker!"

"Is that so, Kaiba?" remarked Joey. Joey was still glaring, though he managed to keep his cool. "Well, I have my own reasons why I'm not about to lose to you today. You'd better be prepared for the duel of your life, Kaiba, because it's hurtling your way!"

"Will you just stop fooling yourself that you have a chance against me, Wheeler?" Kaiba was starting to lose his cool a little now. "I don't know how you managed to get here, much less advance to the finals, but I know it wasn't due to skills."

"Oh come now, Kaiba Boy, there's no need for that." Both Joey and Kaiba were surprised, Joey at Pegasus standing up for him, and Kaiba at Pegasus' support of Joey. "You really did miss quite the duel between Joey and Keith, you know. Truly, I don't know whether I have ever seen such a close duel, card for card."

"Is that so, Pegasus?" Kaiba turned back to Wheeler, not at all moved by what he had just heard. "I guess Keith must have lost his touch, then."

"That doesn't faze me, Kaiba." Joey grinned, but it was quickly replaced by a serious look. "Enough talk. Now let's do this!" Kaiba nodded in determination, just as focused on the upcoming duel as Joey was.

' _Hmm…'_ Bakura thought hard as he watched Joey and Kaiba psyching themselves up. _'I don't think Pegasus has to worry much about these two not duelling their very hardest. With what's on the line here, they're both sure to go all out.'_

Bakura was not the only one thinking hard to himself. Pegasus laughed to himself silently. _'How amusing. It would seem Kaiba truly believes that Joey doesn't stand a chance against him, despite the evidence to the contrary. And here they are, bested against each other in a desperate match that can boast but a single winner. What a splendid show this should make…'_

' _Alright,'_ thought Kaiba through gritted teeth. _'I'll defeat Wheeler quick and move on to rescuing Mokuba.'_

'Kaiba.' Joey looked straight ahead at the young President, not otherwise moving. _'I'm not gonna insult either of us by letting this be a repeat of our last duel. I'm gonna use every tactic I got and come at you hard, right from the start.'_

Back up at the balcony, Tea, Tristan and Bakura were still transfixed at the suspense below. It truly was like they were out in the old west, waiting for the first cowboy to draw.

"Hey guys." Grunting in surprise, they all turned to see Yugi stepping up to them, stopping beside Tea.

"Yugi!" The three all turned to him. "I'm surprised you're okay with this," remarked Tristan.

"Well," thought Yugi slowly as he look back out over the balcony, watching the duel ring below, "you heard what Pegasus said. If Kaiba wins, I get to go straight to Pegasus. If Joey wins, we can duel like we planned."

"That's right," remarked Tea, turning along with the other two to join Yugi. "But I wonder how Joey feels about all this…"

"True, there's a lot of pressure." Bakura managed to remained calm despite what he was speaking about. "Not only does Joey have to deal with battling Kaiba, but he also had to deal with facing Yugi should he win."

"How can he win?" asked Tristan. "Last time, Kaiba squashed him."

"True, Kaiba's one of the best duelists out there, but so is Joey." Yugi nodded as he spoke. "Besides, last time they dueled using Kaiba's new Duel Disk system, and he used it to confuse Joey. This time, they're on even ground." The other three all gasped upon this realization, looking back down at Joey, who hadn't moved from staring across at Kaiba. "Besides, when Joey dueled Bandit Keith, he used the fact that Keith underestimated him to his advantage." The other three watched Yugi, mesmerised, as he spoke with clarity. Yugi clenched the balcony rail tighter with his fingers. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did that during this duel."

"Yugi has a point," said Bakura. "Joey knows Kaiba has lots of really powerful cards in his deck, so we'll have to see whether he can use Kaiba's confidence to get the best of him."

"You mean Kaiba's three Blue-Eyes White Dragons, right?" Tristan looked down solemnly at Kaiba. "How can Joey beat them? Even you struggle with them, Yugi."

Yugi nodded. "True, those Blue-Eyes White Dragons are powerful, and so is Kaiba." Right now, Kaiba was still staring across at Joey, both waiting for the duel to commence. "But Joey earned his place in this match. I'm sure he'll find a way to defeat all of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes'."

"One more thing, Yugi," said Tristan. Yugi looked up to his taller friend. "Would you have gone through with this duel has Kaiba not stepped in?"

"Hmm… I was having some small doubts." Yugi paused for a moment to look down. He then looked back up, determined. "But, I would have. Not just to save Grandpa, but also to give Joey the best duel I could." Tristan smiled down at Yugi, proud of how far Yugi had come too. Tea also smiled. They then all looked down at the ring, where the duel was surely about to commence.

"Let the match begin," announced Croquet from his position beside Pegasus. On his command, the virtual projectors on either side of the duel ring lit up, and the card spaces were projected on the ring between Joey and Kaiba. The Life Point counters on both sides clocked to two thousand points. And Joey and Kaiba had already drawn five cards each.

"Let's duel!" yelled both Joey and Kaiba. Both duelists then looked down at their cards, ready to instigate the match.

Joey gently took hold of the first card on his deck and picked it up. His eyes swept across the cards, keeping his face stoic even though his thoughts were racing.

' _All right!'_ From back to front and from left to right, Joey had good cards. At the left were Garoozis and Giltia the Knight, followed by Salamandra and Axe Raider. But the real jewel was the Red-Eyes Black Dragon at the right, being the last card Joey had drawn in his opening hand, and joined by the Lava Battleguard he has just drawn. _'This is a really strong opening hand. Not only do I have a lot of my best monsters, but I have my Red-Eyes Black Dragon already!'_

' _But…'_ Joey looked up at Kaiba, who was examining his own hand carefully. _'I don't know what Kaiba has. I could risk my Red-Eyes by playing him straight away. I gotta save him for when I really need him.'_ Nodding to himself, Joey added the card he had drawn to his hand, and then plucked out a card from the middle.

"All right then, Kaiba," announced Joey looking up. "Let's do this! I'll throw this out in Attack Mode to start things off." Joey placed down a yellow card with an illustration of a strong warrior carrying a heavy axe. "Go, Axe Raider!" The card registered on the placement slot, and a shower of lights appeared on the corresponding zone in the ring. Axe Raider rose out of the floor as the light glowed and faded, grunting as he appeared in full. Kaiba grunted quietly at the appearance of the 1700 Attack Point monster.

"You know," said Tea up on the balcony, "it was one thing when Joey and Kaiba duelled before, and they were just testing out that Duel Disk. But here…"

"Everything is at stake." Tea looked to the side upon what Tristan had said. "The money for Serenity's operation, the matches that could save Mokuba and Yugi's Grandpa… talk about pressure. I wish both of them and Yugi could win."

"The stakes are high," mused Bakura, while Yugi kept his eyes on the arena down below, "but hopefully, after everything's said and done, there'll be a way for both of them and Yugi to get what they've fought so hard for."

Down below, unknown to all but himself, Pegasus was quickly contemplating everything Bakura had said, and chuckling deeply inside his own head. _'Wishful thinking, Bakura. But after everything's said and done, I'll be the only one to get what I want… including what I want from you.'_ As Pegasus lowered his head ever so slightly, his Millennium Eye flashed briefly and ominously.

' _Wheeler doesn't have any monsters with an Attack Strength of over two thousand other then that Red-Eyes Black Dragon,'_ thought Kaiba, scanning over his cards. _'And he probably has very few magic and traps cards too, since he used none last time.'_ Kaiba looked up, grinning. _'Beating a no-strategy deck like his will be all too easy!'_

'All right, Wheeler, let's go!" Having already drawn a card, Kaiba also grabbed a card from the middle of his hand, and quickly slapped it down. "Go, La Jinn!" The mystical green genie of the lamp materialised out of green smoke, grunting as he folded his arms into a stoic position. Joey clenched his eyes a little, knowing La Jinn had 1800 attack points.

"Go, La Jinn!" yelled Kaiba. "Take out the Axe Raider!" Smirking, La Jinn reared his head back, and then threw it forwards, spurting out a stream of magical fire. It encircled Axe Raider, who looked around in confusion as it did. His confusion did not last long, for the fire rapidly shrunk, striking Axe Raider. Axe Raider yelled out in pain before he shattered, the hologram dematerialising away.

"Looks like Axe Raider couldn't take the heat!" jeered Kaiba, clenching a fist. Joey remained static even as his Life Points dropped a hundred points to 1900.

"What was Joey thinking, leading with a monster in Attack Mode?" Tristan seemed genuinely worried for his longtime friend. "He's lucky Kaiba didn't play anything stronger."

"Do you think he got a bad opening hand?" said Tea.

"I don't think so, guys," said Yugi. The others turned to watch him "I'm sure Joey is already planning something big."

"Yugi's right," said Bakura, also believing in Joey's move. "Joey wouldn't open with a move like that unless he had something big planned. Besides, anyone can chip off a hundred life points. Joey may have lost that round, but he's proven he can stay focused and make the big plays when they count. Its true Kaiba has a lot of experience, but it would be premature to make assumptions just yet."

Back down at the arena, Joey chuckled to himself, watching Kaiba and his genie. _'Well, Kaiba let with a monster I can defeat easily. But there's more to this game then that. I just have to remember what Gramps taught me…'_

* * *

As thought it was a long time ago, Joey recollected one of his duelling lessons with Yugi's Grandpa, though in reality it was only a few weeks prior.

"You see, Joey," said Yugi's Grandpa inside his shop from behind the counter, while Joey leaned against it, listening closely, "a monster's strength does matter, but something else that matters equally is luring your opponent to make the move that benefits you the most." Joey gasped softly, listening attentively.

"Take this for instance, Joey," said Grandpa, sweeping his hand over a half dozen magic and trap cards on the table. "Since a player can only attack with one monster per turn, if you can fool them into attacking with a monster that will benefit you, not only will you win the round, but you'll be able to attack the next turn before they can do anything about it!" Joey gasped even louder, and nodded attentively, recognizing the importance in good strategy.

* * *

Having remembered what Grandpa had told him, Joey picked up a card from his deck. His eyes widened upon seeing what it was. _'All right! If I play this right, I can do some serious damage!'_ Joey looked back up to Kaiba and La Jinn, and grinned.

"Alright Kaiba, here goes." Joey took one card and placed it face down in the lower half of his playing field. He they took another card that depicted a pink muscle head carrying a club and placed it straight in the Monster zone above the first card. "Lava Battleguard, Attack Mode!" The barbarian rose up into the field, grunting a rather deep grunt and wielding a trusty and dangerous looking brown club. This monster had 1550 Attack Points and 1800 Defense Points.

At this move, Kaiba thought. _'What could Wheeler be thinking? Lava Battleguard is no match for my Genie.'_ Kaiba paused for a moment. _'Is he trying to trick me?'_

Up on the balcony, the others stared in equal confusion. "Why is Joey playing that card I gave him like that? He's not thinking at all."

"Who knows," mused Bakura. "It might seem that Joey hasn't learned as much as we thought, but only he knows what that other card he played is. Guess we'll find out soon." The other two looked to Bakura in shock, but Yugi kept his eyes on the Battleguard and genie down below.

Pegasus chuckled deeply to himself, already knowing what Joey was planning. _'I see, Joey,'_ mused Pegasus to himself, calmly opening his normal eye again to watch the action.

Still contemplating, Kaiba drew another card. _'Hmm. Good card. But if I'm right, and Wheeler's trying to lure out a strong monster, I'd be walking right into a trap.'_ Kaiba looked up to Joey who was keeping his attention on the monsters out of the field, and not on Kaiba.

' _I'm not falling for it.'_ Kaiba clenched his eyes. _'I'll just dispose of his trap with a different monster instead.'_ Kaiba grabbed a card towards the back of his hand and plucked it out, deciding to use it instead.

"Your plan won't work, Wheeler," yelled Kaiba as he placed the card down. An ox covered in battle armor and with a deadly looking axe materialized to the right of La Jinn. "You want me to play a strong monster and spring your trap on it, but you can't fool me with a third rate strategy like that!" Joey had no response except to grin a smirk that Kaiba couldn't see. "And what better way to ruin your plan then with a monster that's crushed you before?

"Go, Battle Ox! Axe Slam Wheeler's Battleguard!" Grunting in approval, Battle Ox raised his axe and then charged as fast as his Minotaur legs would allow, straight for Lava Battleguard.

"Gotcha." Kaiba grunted in complete shock at Joey's delight. "I was hoping you'd attack with a monster like Battle Ox, Kaiba. My plan worked perfectly.

"But here," added Joey, reaching down to the card he had placed face down. "You don't have to take my word for it, you can see for yourself." In one swift move, Joey flipped over the hidden card below Lava Battleguard, placing back down a card with an illustration of a medieval warrior carrying a shield and a sword, with arrows leading from a circle on each weapon to the other. "Shield & Sword!"

"Oh no!" yelled Kaiba in genuine fear, realizing too little too late what Joey had been planning.

' _Now you're in for it, Kaiba Boy,_ ' thought Pegasus in delight at Kaiba having underestimated Joey and paid the price.

Tea and Tristan gasped in delight. "All right, Joey, brilliant move!" Yugi yelled down to Joey.

"The magic of the Shield & Sword card flips each monster's Attack Points with their Defense Points for a turn," said Bakura.

"I get it now," said Tristan in realization. Down on the field, Joey's Lava Battleguard was flickering, as his Attack Points incremented to 1800 while his Defense Points decremented downwards to 1550. "Now Kaiba's Battle Ox will be attacking Joey's Lava Battleguard when it's weaker! He used my card in a clever move." On the other side, the Minotaur that was still charging flickered too, his Defense Points increasing up to 1700 but his Attack Points lowering down to a mere 1000.

"Wait, Battle Ox!" Kaiba called, reaching out with a spare hand. But it was too late, for Battle Ox finally reached Lava Battleguard. Lava Battleguard countered the axe with his club, the two weapons locking together. Battle Ox struggled briefly, but it was fruitless, for Lava Battleguard shoved forwards, sending Battle Ox flying. He then leapt after the Minotaur, and swung his club forward.

The Minotaur yelled and shattered, the fragments of the hologram scattering everywhere as they faded, while Lava Battleguard returned to his zone, wielding his trusty club in front of him once again.

"How do you like that, Kaiba?" Joey jeered, clenching a fist. "Battle Ox's been clubbed back to the Labyrinth!"

Kaiba gnarled furiously, his grip on the cards in his hands shaking. Alongside this, his Life Points plummeted from 2000 down to 1200, but he cared less about that then he did about having been psyched out in a mind game.

"That was a really clever strategy," remarked Yugi happily up on the balcony. "Joey could have used Shield & Sword on La Jinn during his turn, but then his Lava Battleguard would have been vulnerable to Kaiba's next move. By luring Kaiba into attacking, now Joey can get another move off before Kaiba can recover!"

"So that's what Joey was going for," remarked Tristan.

"See, this is what I meant," said Bakura. "Joey made Kaiba think he hadn't learned much since last time, so Kaiba made a mistake. I don't think Joey's going to make a mistake himself, he knows Kaiba's a strong duelist."

"Okay Wheeler," snarled Kaiba across the ring. "You may have improved since our last duel." Kaiba clenched a fist visibly, raising his voice. "But don't think for a moment that you can actually beat me in this duel!"

"Is that so, Kaiba?" remarked Joey. "Well, we'll just have to see about that." Joey picked up a card and added it to his hand. "My turn. First, I'll switch Lava Battleguard to Defense Mode." As Joey spoke, Lava Battleguard crouched down on the field, turning his club sideways and raising his arms in a blocking stance. "And then I'll play this." Joey whipped his arm forward, slapping another monster down beside the horizontally aligned Lava Battleguard card. "Giltia The Knight, in Attack Mode!" A knight in green reflective armor and with blue and purple clothing, carrying a long magical spear, rose out on Lava Battleguard's left. He trusted his spear forward, ready for battle. Sporting 1850 Attack Points alongside 1500 Defense Points, he was one of Joey's strongest monsters.

"Attack!" yelled Joey to his knight. "Soul Spear!" Readying himself for an offensive assault, Giltia pulled back his spear, and then struck it forward. A blast of magical purple energy collected at the tip and then shot forward. Kaiba growled again, knowing his field was about to get cleaned out.

The magical shot reached La Jinn, connecting with his wispy tail first. He gulped in shock as the magical attack surged up his torso and all over his body, overpowering his own magic. La Jinn finally shattered, scattering to pieces as the remnants from the magical attack faded away too. This time, Kaiba didn't seem too phased about the monster loss, nor his Life Points inching down to 1150.

"What's the matter, Kaiba?" Joey grinned across at the young president. "Too stunned to say anything now that your genie's been sent back to his lamp?"

"Hmm…" thought Yugi up on the balcony. "I dunno… Joey shouldn't be taunting Kaiba like that." The others turned to listen to Yugi. "Joey may be dominating the game right now, but he shouldn't get too confident."

"You may be right, Yugi," muttered Bakura, thinking hard. "Knowing Kaiba, after being outwitted like that, he's going to come back at Joey even harder then before. Joey still has a long way to go."

"You'd better be ready, Wheeler," snarled Kaiba, angry but under control. He raised his finger suddenly and then pointed straight at Joey. "Now it's my turn!" Joey grunted, turning his face down.

Tristan nodded in approval, turning back to the field. "You know what that means, guys. This duel's just warming up, and warming up real fast." The other nodded too, keeping their attention focused on the game.

Outside, the weather reflected the activities inside the castle perfectly. The sharp wind rustled the bushes harshly, and storm clouds hovered in the vicinity over the Duelist Kingdom Island. And just like the duel inside, this storm was just heating up.

* * *

 **I find that the anime duels can be even more exciting when it's not overloaded with new cards that make their debut in that episode. Hence, neither duelist uses cards throughout this duel that he was not seen using elsewhere with this deck. Before writing this, I wrote out the duel layout, constantly revising it until it was exciting, making sure every move Joey and Kaiba made makes sense at the time, and just pushing them to their limits. I even noted what cards each duelists had in their hands each and every turn, even if it is not seen (though you'll see it throughout enough times to deduce most of their hands at any point). Don't worry, folks – the next part's just around the corner.**

 **As a reminder, the differences between the rules here and Battle City onwards, apart from certain cards having different effects, boil down to five simpler rules - Life Points start at 2000, tributes are not required for higher level monsters, direct attacks did not exist, a duelist can only attack with one monster per turn, and magic cards could be activated during your opponent's turn (the distinction between Magic and Trap cards here is mostly for other cards that specify one or the other).**


	2. Brutal Beat-Down! Joey Vs Kaiba! Part 2

**Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists**

Chapter 2: Brutal Beat-Down! Joey Vs. Kaiba! (2/2)

From above, the island of Duelist Kingdom seemed very peaceful and ordinary, having nothing of interest beyond a small castle. However, it was what was transpiring inside that castle that was of major interest.

In the Duel Ring inside, Joey and Kaiba stood across from each other, at 1900 and 1150 Life Points respectively. The tension was comparable to that in a thriller.

"Kaiba sure seems confident that he can reclaim the lead away from Joey," commented Tea, looking down along with the others at the field where Joey had Giltia the Knight in Attack Mode and Lava Battleguard crouching in Defense Mode.

Kaiba slowly reached down to his deck, and plucked a card up, raising it to eye level. His eyes shot wide upon seeing it. He then lowered it down, smirking across at Joey. Joey grunted, opening his mouth in confusion.

Kaiba lowered the card he had just drawn to the field, setting it in the lower half of his play zone. "One card face down, Wheeler." Kaiba then reached back up to his hand, and grabbed the card on the far left. "And then I'll play this – Judge Man!" Upon slamming down the card, a powerful, cloaked man with a bearded face appeared on the field, carrying two spiked clubs, and boasting a powerful attack strength of 2200.

"Attack Lava Battleguard!" Joey grunted in surprise, as did Yugi, Tea, Tristan and Bakura. The powerful magistrate lunged forward, slamming his clubs down on the pink brute. Lava Battleguard tried to absorb the blow, but his own club was no match, and he shattered from the attack. Joey's Life Points remained unaffected, however.

"I don't get it, Kaiba," responded Joey. "How come you didn't attack Giltia? I didn't lose any Life Points."

Kaiba grinned. "Simple, Wheeler. You stand no chance against me, so I thought I'd let that fact sink in by showing you a tough monster before I do some real damage with it." Joey closed his mouth, thinking. Back above them, the spectators were thinking just as hard.

"I don't know, guys," thought Yugi. "Kaiba's not one to let an opening like that go unused. There must be more to it then that."

"Perhaps he's trying to lure out Joey's tough monsters," enquired Tristan.

"Whatever he planning," said Tea apprehensively, "Joey better be prepared."

Down in the red side of the Duel Ring, Joey was musing what to do. He reached out and drew a card, glancing back and forth between it and his hand. _'Hmm… I could send out my Red-Eyes and take out Kaiba's Judge Man.'_ Joey looked down at the display, where a set card was placed right behind the Judge Man. _'But Kaiba has that face down card. It's gotta be a trap. He wants me to play a strong monster so he can weaken it and use the Judge Man to take it out.'_

"Hmm…" said Yugi, thinking just as hard a level above. "I can understand why Kaiba set that card, but it still seems strange not to attack Joey's knight. Even if Kaiba's trying to bait the attack, why not reduce his Life Points?" Yugi was silent for another moment, until suddenly he started, a flood of familiarity coming back to him.

 _Yugi switched the Dark Magician to Defense Mode and summoned Curse Of Dragon in Defense Mode. But then the hand of his enemy flipped over a face down card, revealing a purple card with a white 'X' over an image of a solider crouching down. With sparkles, Yugi's Dark Magician and Curse Of Dragon faded and reappeared back in attack-ready positions, having being forced to Attack Mode._

Still struck by the memory, Yugi regained himself. "Guys," he said frantically, "there's only one reason why Kaiba would do that. He must want Joey to go on the Defense!"

Back down on the field, Joey began making his move. "Okay Kaiba, I'm not falling for your trap." Kaiba's grin faded, grunting. "You want me to attack with a stronger monster so you can weaken it and take it out! Let me remind you, I am a finalist in this here tournament." Kaiba's grin returned, though it was too far away for Joey to read it clearly.

"I'm switching Giltia to Defense Mode." Joey placed his hand on Giltia's card and turned it sideways. On the field, Giltia crouched down, turning his spear sideways as a precaution. "And I'll play Swamp Battleguard in Defense Mode too." A barbarian similar to Lava Battleguard materialized on Giltia's left, ready for any potential attack upon Joey placing the card down.

"Wait, Joey!" Yugi leaned over the balcony. "It's a trick! Don't do it!" Joey grunted in shock, looking up to Yugi.

"Gotcha." Joey turned to Kaiba in complete shock. "I was hoping you'd retreat rather then fighting like a man, Wheeler. You played right into my hands." Kaiba reached down to the card below Judge Man and flipped it face-up, revealing it to be a trap card with a white 'X' across a crouching soldier – the same card Yugi had just remembered about. "Defense Paralysis!"

"What?" cried out Joey in shock. Out on the field, both Giltia and Swamp Battleguard faded away, only to reappear standing up, with their weapons ready, both in Attack Mode. Joey grunted in rage, only to look up upon hearing Kaiba laughing.

"You see, Wheeler, I can only activate Defense Paralysis when my opponent switches a monster to Defense Mode. But it's worth it, because now you can't play any monsters in Defense Mode! All I had to do was trick you, and now that you've fallen for it, you're finished!" Kaiba threw his head back and laughed even harder, taking massive delight in playing such a big move.

Joey looked down, thinking hard. _'Okay, that was a mistake. But Kaiba only has Judge Man on the field."_ Joey looked up at the powerful judge across from his knight and barbarian. _"I won't lose too many Life Points if he attacks.'_ Joey looked down to his hand, where, in between Salamandra and Rock Ogre Grotto #1, there was a card depicting a ferocious scaly black dragon. _'And next turn I'll play my Red-Eyes and take it out.'_

"My turn, Wheeler." Joey looked up to Kaiba drawing a card. Upon seeing what it was, his eyes widened even wider then when he had drawn Defense Paralysis. Without even saying anything, he placed the card down, allowing the hologram for the card to begin materializing.

Out of the monster zone next to Judge Man appeared a gigantic light-blue dragon, covered in scales that reflected white and possessing a long neck with a slender head at the front, along with two large wings and a pair of sharp claws. It roared upon being summoned, before leaning down into a static position across from Joey. It was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Joey drew back in terror, Kaiba's best monster having made an appearance.

"Blue-Eyes, attack his Swamp Battleguard!" Upon Kaiba's command, the dragon reared its head back, charging up a beam of pure destructive energy at its mouth. "White Lightning!" The dragon let loose the burst stream of destruction straight across the field, right for the green barbarian. Swamp Battleguard did not even have time to react, for the instant the attack made contact, there was a burst of white.

Having shielded his eyes from the intensity of the blast, Joey finally looked on as it faded, while his own Life Points plummeted from 1900 down to a mere 700. Joey stared out at the spot beside Giltia where Swamp Battleguard had previously stood, where only a thin trail of smoke lisping away was visible now. Behind the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Kaiba smirked, his own count of 1150 Life Points putting him in a clear lead.

"Oh no," muttered Tea high above, in obvious worry.

"See, this is what I meant." Tea looked to Bakura beside her as he spoke, uttering a small surprised grunt. "Though he was behind, Kaiba kept a laser-like focus and made a big play when it counted." Bakura narrowed his eyes a little. "And now… I guess we'll see if Joey can do the same."

Upon hearing this, Tristan looked over. "How can Joey make a big play with that Blue-Eyes out there and his defenses blocked?"

"It's a problem, true, but it's not about what out," said Bakura, shaking his head. "You see, just as Kaiba kept his cool when Joey pulled off that Shield & Sword move, now Joey must keep his attention rapt, even against Kaiba's strongest monster."

Tea gasped softly, while Yugi nodded to Bakura words. "Attack strength isn't everything. If Joey plays his cards right, he can pull through this and turn the tables back in his favor." The others all agreed, looking back down to the ring, wondering what the next move would be.

The other main spectator of the match, Pegasus, chuckled softly to himself, echoing inside his mind. _'It seems I'm the only one who appreciates Kaiba dealing with his expectations of Joey and Joey dealing with Kaiba's skills. I guess they are acquired tastes.'_

"Still," pondered Yugi, "this next turn will be important. Unless Joey makes a big play, Kaiba will wipe out his knight and his life points." Tea was shocked, while Tristan and Bakura nodded, looking back down at their friend in the red half of the Duel Ring.

' _This is bad.'_ Joey scanned his hand over and over, finding nothing that could get him out of this. _'The only useful card I have is Red-Eyes, and even if I do use him to take out Judge Man…'_ Joey looked up from Giltia the Knight to the Blue-Eyes White Dragon leering Joey's knight down beside Judge Man. _'Kaiba will still wipe me out.'_ Joey lowered his eyes to his deck, knowing the outcome depended on this next draw. _'Okay, come on, deck. Don't fail me now.'_ Frowning, Joey lowered his fingers to the top card, and plucked it up. Closing his eyes, he lowered it onto the field, setting it face down without even having altered his face.

"Come on," jeered Kaiba from across the ring, "there's nothing you can do Wheeler, just end your turn!" Joey nodded silently across the ring, releasing his turn over to Kaiba.

Kaiba smirked and drew his card. Like Joey, he did not alter his expression; instead, he added it to his hand, but that was because his focus was fully on the field. "It's all over, Wheeler. Just like before, you're powerless against my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Everyone up on the balcony gasped. "Joey's gonna lose if the Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacks!" yelled Yugi.

"Oh, I can't look!" Tea turned away, clenching her eyes shut.

"This duel's over. Blue-Eyes, wipe out the rest of his Life Points!" Like before, Blue-Eyes began charging up a blast of unbeatable energy at its mouth, an attack so strong few could stand against it. Joey grimaced, knowing he was in danger.

The Blue-Eyes' attack finally reached charged point, and then it turned its mouth forward, ready to launch. "White Lighting!" Without thinking, Joey reached for the face down card he had, pulling it up, unable to see what it was due to the intensity of the attack.

The burst stream was so wide this time that is obscured the whole field. Joey grunted, shielding his eyes, while Yugi and the others did the same up on the balcony. Kaiba grinned, not looking away from the attack. Even Pegasus didn't know what would happen, while he watched quietly.

Finally, the attack faded from sight. Joey slowly removed his arm from in front of his eyes, though he kept them shut. Slowly, he opened them, and looked out on the field.

The first thing he saw was Giltia the Knight, standing safe and scratch-free. Across from Giltia, Judge Man stood as before, tall and ready for battle. But the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was nowhere to be seen. Joey grunted in surprise, looking down to the display board. One by one, Yugi, Joey, Bakura and Tristan all gasped. Even Pegasus seemed surprised, though he made no sound.

' _What?'_ Kaiba thought in shock. _'What happened to my Blue-Eyes'?_ Kaiba looked down to the board, and started in shock.

Right behind and to the side of Giltia the Knight was a trap card. Even though it was upside down from Kaiba's view, he could see it's illustration – a small pit full of sharp spikes from which smoke trailed away.

Out on the field, in the area between Kaiba and Joey's monsters zones, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon was squashed in a circular pit, his head to the side and not moving. Though they could not be seen due to his body size, the spikes had impaled him.

"All right!" Joey yelled out in approval. "Looks like your Blue-Eyes got skewered by my Chasm Of Spikes before he could destroy my knight!" Up above, all four observers gasped in delight, their shocked faces fading for gasps of delight.

"Brilliant move, Joey!" Yugi called down. "Not only did you destroy the Blue-Eyes, but you also cost Kaiba a quarter of its attack power in Life Points!" Kaiba gnarled harder then ever, his left hand, and the cards holding it, shaking terribly. At the same time, his Life Points dropped way down, going from a healthy 1150 down to a paltry 400. Joey smirked across, his own Life Point counter of 700 in the yellow rather then the red.

"Superb, Joseph," called out Pegasus, giving the duel a few claps of approval. "You took out a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Few people can do that. You truly are a great duelist." Though he didn't think much of Pegasus, Joey smiled at the approval. Growling harder then before, Kaiba looked back to Joey.

"Wipe that smug look off your face, Wheeler!" Kaiba clenched a fist in fury. "Just because you got a lucky draw doesn't mean that you can win! You have no chance of coming away from this match the victor, Wheeler!"

Joey just chuckled, causing Kaiba to start and glare even harder. "Let me give you a refresh, Kaiba." Kaiba glared past the two monsters on the field, every word that Joey uttered infuriating him that bit more. "You just lost your best monster, and you have less Life Points then me. I think my odds of winning look a little higher right now, no?"

"Keep talking, it won't help!" Kaiba whipped a card out of his hand, slapping it down beside his Defense Paralysis card. "I'll place one card face down, and switch Judge Man to Defense Mode!" Kaiba moved his hand down to switch the orientation of the powerful magistrate on the field, who acted accordingly and lowered himself into a guarding position. "Then I'll summon Rude Kaiser, also in Defense Mode." In the spot that the Blue-Eyes White Dragon has previously occupied emerged a green lizard in sharp metal armor, with two curved, sharp blades attached to his arms, arms that he also held in a blocking stance.

"Now you're on the defense, Kaiba," remarked Joey. "And it's a nice change too." He smirked across at Kaiba behind the two monsters that were blocking themselves against potential attacks.

"Just hurry up and make your move, Wheeler, so I can finish you off!" yelled Kaiba. Joey smirked, before he lowered his eyes to the display board, observing the cards that were on it.

' _If only it were that easy,'_ Joey thought solemnly. _'Now that he's lost the field advantage, Kaiba's protecting his Life Points, so I can't touch him.'_ Joey's eyes lowered to the trap card underneath Judge Man on the display board, still displaying a squatted soldier being forbidden to defend. _'And as long as he has Defense Paralysis on the field, I can't defend.'_ Joey looked back to his hand. _'If Kaiba draws another Blue-Eyes, I'm finished.'_

Up above, Yugi and his friends watched as Joey mused quietly. "What's Joey thinking about?" said Tristan. "Now that the Blue-Eyes is gone, he should go on the attack, right?"

"Yeah, he should, but it won't win the duel right now," said Yugi. "Kaiba's known for being an offensive duelist, so for him to defend even for a turn he must be desperate." Yugi looked from Kaiba back to Joey, thinking hard as he spoke. "Joey needs to turn that desperation into his assimilation."

"Mm," said Bakura in deep thought, attracting Tea's attention, who looked over to Bakura. "Destroying that Blue-Eyes was a critical move, but now Joey needs to follow it up with another one, and keep Kaiba in a tight spot."

Tristan nodded in agreement, looking down. "Kaiba still has the stronger monsters, so Joey's gotta make these next few moves count." They all refocused their attention on the duel, watching attentively.

Joey finally looked from his hand to the top of his deck. _'All right deck, you've pulled through for me so far. Now I need you to do it again.'_ Joey took the card and brought it up. He blinked in surprise, noting what it was. The card had an image of a magician with one hand having an eye on it and the other hand holding a mirror in front of his face, the mirror glowing with magic. _'Copycat,'_ thought Joey. He stared at the card for a few moments, then down to the field.

' _Wait a minute.'_ Joey suddenly started, thinking hard. _'What was it that Gramps told me that time?'_ Another memory was resurfacing fast to Joey's mind.

* * *

Joey sat in front of Grandpa in Yugi's house, looking between several cards on a table, while Grandpa observed.

"This one," said Joey, pointing to a card that depicted two lizard-like monsters flying towards each other in a blur of muted colors. "That's the card you use to fuse monsters together!"

"Very good, Joseph," said Grandpa, nodding in approval. "You've come quite far. Here…" Grandpa reached inside his pocket, and pulled out a card, handing it to Joey. "This is for you." Joey took the card and pulled it closer.

"Copycat?" Joey stared at the image of the mirror-holding magician, observing it closely. "Copy one card your opponent's drawn on the field…"

"Exactly." Grandpa smiled in approval. "With that card, you can use the effects of any magic or trap card your opponent has used to that point as your own, whether it's on the field or not."

"Oh," said Joey, understanding the usefulness of the card. "So with this, I can use the effects of my opponents' cards against them!"

"That's right, but there's more." Grandpa pulled out another card and placed it in the middle of the table. The trap card showed a crossed image of a hunkered solider. "Now, I'm sure you realize that there usually isn't much a duelist can do if their opponent places their monsters in defense mode constantly." Grandpa gestured to the Defense Paralysis card. "Cards like these are the counter to that. They permanently prevent an opponent from defending. Much better then a one-use Stop Defense card, no?"

"Wow," said Joey, looking at the card. "Wouldn't that make these cards used by everyone?"

"Yes, everyone would use them, if they could." Joey grunted, looking up again. "A player can only have one of these type of cards in their deck, and you can't find them in any shop. You can only win them in elite tournaments." Joey nodded, understanding but still feeling that these permanent defense-blocking cards were ridiculously overpowered, as he looked back down at the Defense Paralysis card.

"And there's one more thing, Joey." Joey looked back up to Grandpa. "One more rule you should remember is that, if a duelist plays one of these cards, then their opponent's one is destroyed."

"That doesn't help me much," mumbled Joey. "I haven't exactly won any of those…" Joey's eyes suddenly lowered back to the card in his hand. Gasping in realization, he looked back up to Grandpa.

Grandpa only smiled, closing his eyes and chuckling at Joey.

* * *

Back in the present, Joey stared at the Copycat card, then to his hand, then back down at the field. Lowering them, he then smirked across the field at Kaiba. Kaiba's smirk faded a little upon seeing Joey's.

' _What could Wheeler be smiling about?'_ Kaiba thought hard, no clear answer coming to him. _'What card could turn the tables for him?'_

"Hey, Kaiba," said Joey, grinning as he reached for a card in his hand. "Your Life Points are done for. Watch this."

"What? They're done for?" Kaiba said in confusion and disbelief.

"Looks like Joey is going to make a big play," remarked Bakura. Tea and Tristan gasped alongside them, eager to see what would happen.

"Take this!" Joey whirled his hand forward, tossing a card down onto the play zone. "A little critter known as… Copycat!"

The Copycat card landed right on the field, registering into the duelling system. "It can copy any card you have on the field." Kaiba grunted in fear, already suspecting what was coming.

"And I know just which one I want too," smirked Joey, his mouth curling higher with each word. "The powerful, permanent, game-changing… Defense Paralysis!" Joey clenched a fist for effect as he finished.

Kaiba leant back in shock. "No!" Out on the field, the holograms of both Rude Kaiser and Judge Man flickered and refocused, both having been forced out of defense into standing positions.

"You know what's next, Kaiba," said Joey. "Now that I have a card preventing you from defending, your card is destroyed!" He pointed straight at the glowing white zone behind Judge Man, which promptly faded away, leaving the zone blank. Kaiba growled furiously.

"Wonderful play, Joseph," commented Pegasus. "A move like that proves you earned your spot in this match."

' _How did Wheeler manage to pull off a move like that?'_ Kaiba's hand was shaking so hard that he had to lover it down, clenching his eyes in disbelief. _'With one card, he flipped the advantage and left me in danger!'_

"All right, Joey!" Tristan yelled from the balcony. You got him on the ropes!"

"That's not all," said Yugi happily. "Not only is Joey holding his own against Kaiba, but he's truly making every single move count. He's a true pro." Tea smiled from Yugi down to Joey in the arena, truly proud of far they had both come over the years and in the last few weeks.

"Now that I'm free to defend again, I'll switch Giltia back to Defense mode." Giltia lowered himself down out of an attack stance, this time staying in it. "Finally, I'll play this in Attack Mode!" Joey took another card out of his hand and placed it down in the Monster Zone. "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Uttering a roar not a thousand miles removed from the one of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, a black-scaled dragon only slightly smaller then it's counterpart reared up out of the Monster Card Zone. It lowered itself in a battle-ready stance, head, claws, tail and wings stretched out. With an attack strength of 2400 accompanied by a defense strength of 2000, it was nothing to be sneezed at.

"Red-Eyes, attack!" The black dragon reared back, changing up a fiery blast of it's own. "Infernal Fire Blast!" Within moments, Red-Eyes Black Dragon let the flash loose. It whizzed through the air, away from Joey's dragon and knight and straight towards Rude Kaiser, lighting the air up in a red glow as it closed in.

Kaiba watched, still glaring but also in shock, as the blast's glow grew even larger, cloaking him in an intense red glow as the moment that would decide the match drew ever closer.

* * *

 **The one rule I do add is the part about cards at this point in the series that prevent the opponent from defending permanently (which include Defense Paralysis, Shadow Of Eyes and Gorgon's Eye) being destroyed should your opponent play one, and being restricted to one per deck. However, I feel it's a reasonable assumption and a fair rule, given how overpowered they would be otherwise. Those cards become redundant once the rules closer to the real-life game are introduced with Battle City, where you can just attack directly when they lack monsters, which is my explanation for why we don't see them thereafter.**

 **This is where the duel really begins, folks.**


	3. Mimicry! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Part 1

**Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists**

Chapter 3: Mimicry! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! (1/2)

A fiery blast of searing energy hurtled through the air, aiming straight for the Rude Kaiser. It finally made contact, obliterating the armored lizard in a single moment. When the smoke trailed away, all that was left in the spot to the right of Judge Man were a few trails of smoke that wisped away through the air.

Joey grinned happily, having watched the attack without turning away. "It's over, Kaiba. I win!" Smiling to himself, Joey looked down to board, eager to see Kaiba's Life Points all gone.

However, that was not what he saw at all. In fact, what Joey did see made him start, his mouth agape. "What?" On the top of the display board, right above two counters that showed the attack and defense strength of Kaiba's Rude Kaiser, lay Kaiba's Life Point counter. But it was not zero. It was 1000 instead.

' _That doesn't make any sense.'_ Slowly, Joey looked up to the field, trying to puzzle out what had happened. _'How come Kaiba gained six hundred Life Points instead of losing it?'_ Joey's curiosity did not last long, for he suddenly grunted, seeing something new on the field.

Right behind the spot where Rude Kaiser had been obliterated, there stood a female elf in a green robe and with a white headdress. She was holding her hands together and chanting something in a language that resembled no language Joey knew. Ever so slowly, she began to fade, and was gone in a shower of sparkles that scattered over Kaiba's playing field.

"Gift of the Mystical Elf!" Yugi was just as shocked as Joey, though he understood now what had happened. He clenched the balcony, realizing that Kaiba had been ready no matter what Joey had done.

"Wait a minute," said Bakura with curiosity. He looked past Tea to Yugi. "Didn't he use that card against you, Yugi?"

Yugi nodded in affirmation, remembering all too well how Kaiba had used it to erase what damage Yugi had caused when going on the attack before summoning a Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "Gift Of The Mystical Elf increases the duelist's Life Points by three hundred for every monster on the field." Everyone next to Yugi gasped, seeing what had happened in his or her mind's eye.

 _As the blast from the Red-Eyes Black Dragon closed in, Kaiba's Life Points boosted up to 1600. And right as the blast destroyed Rude Kaiser, Kaiba suffered a 600 point loss, going down to 1000._

Joey growled under his breath. Only upon hearing Kaiba chuckle did he look up, focusing on the battlefield and his opponent once more.

"You're not the only one who can use a card to avoid defeat, Wheeler!" Kaiba grinned, calm and back under control. "With my life points higher then yours, you'll never win!"

"Fat chance!' Joey jeered back. Though Kaiba's move had fazed him, Joey's confidence was not the least bit shaken. "I still have my Red-Eyes, and I'll plow through your Life Points, Kaiba!" Kaiba drew his eyes back, and then lowered them to his deck, bracing himself for his next draw. "Don't forget, thanks to my Copycat card copying Defense Paralysis, you can't defend, Kaiba!" Joey smirked even more then before, pointing out with his index finger. "Now play your next card, so I can defeat it!"

* * *

Outside, rain was thundering down all over the island, now vacated of all duelists outside the castle. As the water continued to fall from the sky, it was joined by a flash of lightning, which illuminated a vast vicinity around the castle situated atop the rocky outcropping in the middle of the island.

Back inside, Pegasus chuckled deeply to himself, enjoying the proceeding s even more with each turn. "What a lovely day this is for a duel." His gaze swept out over the field, where Joey's Red Eyes Black Dragon and Giltia The Knight stood across from Kaiba's Judge Man. "Especially on a occasion such as this, when two enemies are battling it out to the very end." Both Joey and Kaiba had no ears for Pegasus' words, their attention only on the duelist on the opposite side of the ring. "It's times like this that show what we are capable of in critical situations."

' _It doesn't matter to me who wins or loses,'_ thought Pegasus dryly, grinning to himself. _'Because, in the end, I know it is I who will emerge victorious.'_ His focus turned to Yugi, high up in the balcony along with Tea, Bakura and Tristan. Yugi was focused on the match, clenching the railing with his hands. _'And you, young Yugi, who shall be vanquished.'_ Pegasus laughed a deep, throaty laugh inside his own head, taking pleasure in the knowledge that only he would come out with what he desired.

"This game is really too close," said Tea worriedly, looking down beside Yugi.

"Yeah," remarked Tristan, "they're both playing at the top of their form. I mean, either one of them could win."

"You're right," added Bakura. "I don't think I've ever seen such an exciting duel." From their vantage point, they watched the three monsters situated on the battlefield, along with the duelists on either side. "And who would have though that at this point, Joey would have the momentum of the game?" Both Kaiba and Joey watched the other, at 1000 and 700 Life Points respectively. "Truly extraordinary."

Kaiba grasped the top card of his deck between his fingers, which was already 10 cards thinner then when the duel had begun. Kaiba lifted the card up to eye level.

He blinked in surprise, for it was one of his most powerful cards, a trap card depicting several deadly looking jet red spiked spheres on an orange canvas. _'My Crush Card.'_ Kaiba eyes' darted to his hand of three cards. Beside Polymerization at the back lay a monster card showcasing a creepy skinny clown with bizarre makeup. _'I already have Saggi in my hand. If I used these two, I'd be able to infect Wheeler's Deck.'_ Kaiba's eyes clenched, darting down to the display board, where behind Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon card lay a card of a magician holding a mirror to obscure his face. _'But since he's copying Defense Paralysis, I'd have to put Saggi in Attack Mode. And if I did that… I'd lose.'_ Kaiba growled inside his mind, looking to the side, where Pegasus was watching the duel with a spring in his smile. _'And I need to save that strategy for Pegasus anyway.'_

Kaiba gritted his teeth for a moment more, but then he relaxed, looking back over his hand again. Next to Polymerization was a monster card portraying a purple beast wielding an impressive sword. _'I don't need that combo. I've got one card that can take down Wheeler's dragon!'_

Kaiba grabbed the monster card he had been focused on, plucking it out of his hand and placing it down on the field. Out in the spot that had been occupied first by a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and then by Rude Kaiser appeared a dark-purple, brutal-looking bipedal beast, accompanied by a spiked red cape and carrying a powerful yellow sword. It growled fiercely as it's Attack and Defense Points of 2000 and 1600 respectively became visible.

' _What could Kaiba be thinking?'_ Joey pondered heavily at the appearance of this monster. _'That thing's no match for my Red-Eyes. Is that all he's got?'_

"Be careful, Joey!" Yugi called down to his friend, leaning over the balcony as far as he could. "Swordstalker has a special ability!"

"What?" Joey looked up to his friend in alarm.

"Yugi's right." Kaiba chuckled, knowing the field advantage was his once again. "Swordstalker can absorb a quarter of the strength of a fallen ally from the previous turn."

"Say what?" Joey couldn't believe the monster had such a powerful ability.

"Rude Kaiser had an attack power of eighteen hundred, Wheeler," lectured Kaiba tactfully. "So Swordstalker absorbs a quarter of that into his own power." As Kaiba spoke, Swordstalker's Attack Points began recalculating the received boost, finally settling at 2450, while Swordstalker himself growled ferociously. "That's four-hundred-and-fifty extra points. Do the math, Wheeler! He's stronger then Red-Eyes!" Joey shrunk back, groaning at this news.

"Swordstalker, attack Wheeler's dragon!" Grunting in approval, Swordstalker lunged forward, leaping above the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, which watched the attack. Swordstalker finally leapt down, slashing his sword across in one wide move.

Recoiling from the large, glowing gash across his cheat, Red-Eyes stumbled backwards, yelling a roar in pain, before he broke, scattering to pieces as the hologram left the field. Joey lowered his head, growling in desperation at the loss of his best monster and his Life Points decreasing down to 650.

Kaiba laughed out loud, more arrogant then ever now that he was winning again. "I don't need my Blue-Eyes to beat you, Wheeler. You've got no chance now, with your best monster gone!"

Up above, the spectators watched the field, dominated by Kaiba's two heavyweights and Joey knight squatted in defense. "This is bad, guys," mumbled Tea. "How's Joey supposed to beat Kaiba without his Red-Eyes?"

"Well…" Yugi thought hard, looking down at the Swordstalker. "Kaiba increased the attack points of his monster from its base value. If Joey can do the same, maybe he can overpower Kaiba again."

"What are you saying, Yugi?" enquired Tristan from way on the other side.

"I think Yugi means that Joey needs to support his next monster so it's stronger then Kaiba's," added Bakura. Tea narrowed her eyes, thinking hard at these words, for this was the same strategy she had used to win extra star chips for Yugi back outside the castle yesterday.

' _Losing Red-Eyes wasn't easy. But…'_ Joey plucked his next card up, preparing himself both for something helpful and something that wouldn't help him at all. _'Maybe this will help.'_

Joey gasped inside his own head. The card was one of his favorites, a fire-wielding swordsman. _'Ah, yeah! The Flame Swordsman never lets me down!'_ Smirking, Joey looked up to Kaiba, and then plucked a second card from his hand alongside the Flame Swordsman he had just drawn, holding them together.

"I'll attack your Swordstalker with this, Kaiba!" Out on the field materialized the Flame Swordsman, grunting as he wielded his orange sword, matching well with his auburn clothes.

"The Flame Swordsman." Kaiba stared out at the field, confused. "Why play that card?" Joey grinned to himself, confident in his plan.

"I get it, Wheeler." Kaiba grinned, laughing briefly, calming himself down enough to smirk across the field. "You decided to go with a monster exactly weak enough to lose the duel this turn." Joey had no response except to narrow his eyes.

"Kaiba has a point," said Tristan. "The attack difference between Swordstalker and Flame Swordsman is equal to Joey's Life Points."

"Not once Joey plays that!" Bakura leaned forward upon seeing what else Joey had. The other two joined him, gasping audibly. Yugi, on the other hand, opened his mouth not in surprise, but in delight.

"You're not the only one who can increase a monster's attack points, Kaiba." As he spoke with the greatest confidence, Joey held up a magic card that depicted a vertically aligned sword with a trail of fire curling around it, finishing near the top in the shape of a dragon's head. "I'm adding Salamandra in a combo attack!" Kaiba drew back in terror, unbelieving that the same strategy he had just used was coming right back against him.

Upon activation of the Salamandra card, the spirit of a fiery dragon swept up out of nowhere and seared around the weapon of the Flame Swordsman. "This card gives Flame Swordsman's attack a seven hundred point boost." Salamandra's magic began infusing the weapon of the fiery warrior, increasing his attack to 2500 points. "Do the math, Kaiba!" Joey jeered, mocking Kaiba from earlier. "He's stronger then Swordstalker!" Kaiba drew back, growling at this.

"Attack!" commanded Joey. "Salamandra Flame Strike!" Grunting heavily, Flame Swordsman geared up his magic-infused sword, finally launching the spirit of Salamandra from its tip. The spirit of a flame dragon reared its head and shot through the air as a stream of fire and a mouth, straight for Swordstalker.

It struck, igniting the dark beast. Swordstalker drew back in pain, grunting from the energy of the attack, before he finally broke, having being defeated and removed from the field. Kaiba let out a low snarl, tilting his head as his Life Points trickled into the yellow, to 950 points.

Feeling smug at having given Kaiba a taste of his own medicine, Joey continued taunting him. "I don't need my Red-Eyes to beat you, Kaiba. You've got no chance now, with most of your strong monsters gone!" Kaiba snarled even deeper, angry that Wheeler was echoing both his strategy and his words.

"What Joey's going on about?" said Tristan up on the balcony. "He's really playing with fire."

"It's really simple, guys," supplied Yugi cheerfully. "Earlier, Kaiba used Joey's double trick strategy against him, remember, to throw him off guard. Now, Joey's doing the same. So Joey's using two of Kaiba's strategies at once, which is really unsettling him!"

"You know," thought Tea, looking back down at the field. "It seems like Mai was right. Psychology is half the game!"

"I think you're right, Tea," said Bakura. "A good duelist is able to fight their opponent with their mind, as well as their cards." They looked down to Joey who was stoical but resolute and buoyant in his stance. "That's another reason why Joey has come so far."

Contemplating his situation hard, Kaiba drew a card. _'Come on… I need something good.'_ Having picked his card up, he narrowed his eyes. The card was a dark pink gargoyle covered in sharp talons, with Attack and Defense Points of 1600 and 1200 respectively. _'Ryu-Kishin Powered… It's not strong enough.'_ Kaiba looked from his card out to the field, where all he had in play was a powerful magistrate. Kaiba sighed inside his head, knowing there was little else he could do.

"Judge Man, attack his knight!" Upon Kaiba's command, his monster charged forward, straight for Giltia. One swipe of the Judge's clubs, and Giltia groaned from the blow, breaking up, followed by his sceptre.

Joey let out a small hum; his Life Points still stationary at 650, while Kaiba's hovered at 950. "Not a problem, Kaiba. My turn." Joey plucked up his next card, thinking calmly.

' _Dragon Nails.'_ The card showed, against a murky brown background, a sharp steel armor glove clearly intended for a large set of claws. _'Too bad I don't have my Red-Eyes to play it with.'_ Shrugging it off, Joey looked up, where his powerful Flame Swordsman was geared up and ready for the next command. _'It's okay – my Flame Swordsman can handle things just fine!'_

"Flame Swordsman, rinse and repeat! Take out his judge!" Just like before, Salamandra's magic seared from the Swordsman's weapon, straight for the Judge Man. He gripped his spiked clubs tighter as the attack struck, searing all around him. The Judge finally seared away as the flame trailed away in snaky tendrils. Kaiba groaned as the flame tendrils evaporated in front of him, while his Life Points plummeted down to 650. Joey grinned, his own Life Points also at 650.

"Joey did it!' exclaimed Yugi. "That was Kaiba's last monster in play. If the monster he plays next turn is weak enough, Joey will win!"

' _Joey's come so far.'_ Tea's eyes were nearly welling up with tears in happiness. _'And now… he's about to beat the world champion!'_

' _I'm all out of moves.'_ Kaiba was worried beyond belief, his eyes darting back and forth across his cards. _'None of these cards will protect my Life Points.'_ He lowered his gaze to his deck. _'This is it. To win…'_ Kaiba placed his hand on the deck, bracing himself for the moment of truth. _'I need the right card!'_

Kaiba closed his eyes in anticipation, bringing up the card with more dread then he had ever felt. Finally he opened his eyes, and saw the card.

Kaiba's first reaction was to gasp softly, followed by stretching his mouth in a small gasp of delight. However, he quickly regained himself. Joey noticed none of this, simply waiting for his next turn. Kaiba took advantage of this, and played the card he had just drawn.

Out on the field materialized the only monster of Kaiba's stronger then Joey's juiced-up Flame Swordsman – his second Blue-Eyes White Dragon. It roared upon appearing, thrusting it's neck upwards as it took it's full body stance. As soon as it had appeared, it stuck its neck out, changing up a burst stream of pure destruction. Within seconds, it was released, straight across the field.

Joey shrunk back in shock, as the attack engulfed the area in a powerful white glow. He could only watch, through clenched eyes, as the attack seared around and through his Flame Swordsman. The Swordsman held on as best he could, but even with Salamandra, he was no match, and the attack ripped him and the fiery spirit searing around his sword into oblivion.

Joey stared in stunned silence as the White Lightning attack faded, the color returning to normal. "He's gone," said Joey in a quiet voice. "My Flame Swordsman's gone." While he spoke, his Life Points decreased into the red, to a paltry 150.

"There's nothing you can do now, Wheeler!" Kaiba swiped his hand to the side as he spoke dramatically. "Nothing you have, monster or magic, can take down this Blue-Eyes!"

' _No…'_ Joey clenched his eyes shut, not knowing what to do. _'I was counting on my Flame Swordsman to win this duel. Now, not only is he gone, but I got another Blue-Eyes to deal with!'_

' _That's the way life goes, Joey. Never as you planned.'_ As Pegasus watched the events unfolding in front of him, he pressed his fingers against the hair under which his Millennium Eye was concealed. _'The world is a very arbitrary place, isn't it?'_ While Pegasus contemplated, his focus swept over the field, where the Blue-Eyes White Dragon Kaiba has just summoned roared gently, leering down the empty field in front of it. _'It's a place where you can be locked in battle with friend or foe, for stakes neither can afford to lose.'_ Kaiba looked confident as he held his cards, while Joey was worried as he observed the situation in front of him. _'Oh, I know you'd like to think that friendship would be enough to sustain you through any mishap or misfortune… But that's not the way the world works.'_

' _Man…'_ Joey stared out at the titanic monster on Kaiba's field. _'How could I go from top of the heap to down in the dumps in one turn?'_ He clenched his eyes shut, completely clueless as to how he would get out of this situation.

"Make your move, Wheeler!" barked out Kaiba, making Joey snap his head back up. "My Blue-Eyes is all ready to annihilate your next card!" Groaning, Joey plucked up a card, looking at it. Grimacing, he lowered it to the field.

"I'll throw a monster in Defense Mode." The middle Zone out on Joey's field began glowing, indicating a monster had been set there. "And that's it."

"You're right about that!" Kaiba plucked up his next card. Upon looking at it, he let a grin escape. "My cards are gonna keep coming!

"Go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" To the right of the dragon already on the field appeared Kaiba's last Blue-Eyes. It roared to the sky upon joining its brother, before lowering it's head down, just as ready for battle. Both dragons leered Joey down. He drew back far, even paler then before.

"Blast Wheeler's small fry to kingdom come! White Lightning!" Upon Kaiba's command, a shot of white energy shot straight through the air. The set monster revealed itself as the attack approached, turning out to be a muscular man-hunter. Kojikocy yelled as the shot instantly scattered his hologram into fragments. Joey groaned under his breath, his Life Points safe – for now.

"Just give up, Wheeler!" Kaiba yelled past his two dragons to Joey. "You're just wasting my time by continuing to play this duel!"

' _Ugh… Kaiba's got two Blue-Eyes out of the field.'_ Joey was so worried sweat appeared on his face, as he clenched his eyes. _'I'm never gonna win now!'_

 _Big brother…_ A familiar voice echoed in Joey's head. He opened his eyes, looking up. _'Serenity!'_ Joey's last conversation with her flashed across his head.

" _Joey…" In the video he was watching, Serenity lowered her face, tears leaking from her eyes. "I miss you so much." She opened her watery eyelids to look up again. "Don't forget me."_

 _A younger Serenity chuckled on a beach at sunset, leaning across a sandcastle she and Joey had just finished building. "Pinky swear?"_

" _Sure." Joey clasped his pinky finger around hers. "We'll always look out for each other." The sea sparkled as they silently agreed on their promise._

The memories as clear as if they had just happened, Joey reprimanded himself. _'What am I thinking? I can't give up.'_ He looked back up to the field, where the two-Blue-Eyes were still roaring softly. _'My sister's counting on me.'_ Across the field, Kaiba stared silently, though it looked like he might break it soon. Joey let out a small breath he had been holding, and then bent down.

' _No matter how bad things look… I gotta keep fighting for her.'_ His resolve set back in place, he slammed his hand to his deck, and began to pull the top card off. _'Heart of the Cards… don't fail me now.'_ Joey narrowed his eyes, and pulled the card up off the deck, raising it to the level of his other hand.

Joey's eyes shot wide. _'All right!'_ It was a trap card depicting a cartoon burglar smirking from under his hat, carrying a pickaxe in his hands, with a shovel and small tombstone attached to his back. _'Graverobber could really turn this around!'_

Joey looked down to the field, knowing what to do. "I'll put this face down." He lowered one card onto the field first beside Copycat, where it registered into the duel ring. "And then I'll throw this in Defense Mode." He pushed the second card into place above Copycat, where it also registered. Out on the field, both of the respective zones began flashing on and off in rhythm.

Kaiba drew back somewhat, grunting. _'Did Wheeler get a good card? No – I know what he wants. He wants me to attack with a weaker monster like last time, so he can counter attack!'_ Grimacing, Kaiba picked up his next card, looking across his hand of five cards.

' _Even if it's risky… I'm gonna attack with a Blue-Eyes!'_ His decision made, Kaiba looked up to his dragons, yelling out.

"Blue-Eyes, attack!" The dragon quickly charged up a blast, letting it loose within seconds towards Joey's Defense monster. As the blast approached, Joey's Rock Ogre Grotto #1 appeared with sparkles. As soon as the blast hit, the Rock Ogre was scattered into rubble that split across the field's zones and faded.

"Ha!" Kaiba laughed, looking up. "I called your bluff, Wheeler. Do you plan to continue playing defensively until you're all out of cards?"

"Not so fast, Kaiba." Joey's smirk was so confident that Kaiba was actually somewhat unnerved by it. "Your dragons are history. Just watch." Joey quickly drew another card, adding it to his hand. "First, I'll activate my face-down card." Joey's hand grabbed his hidden card, flipping it over in one swift motion. "It's Graverobber!"

"Graverobber?" All four of Joey's friends on the balcony echoed each other's thoughts.

"I'll use it to steal a card from your graveyard," commented Joey, as the small bandit, cackling mischievously, raised out on Joey's field, clutching a hidden card in his grasp.

"What?" Kaiba drew back in complete and total shock. "Not my first Blue-Eyes?" As though on prompt, the burglar flipped his card around, revealing an 8-star dragon identical to the two Kaiba had on the field.

"That's right, Kaiba – he's mine!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon rose up onto Joey's field, roaring loudly. It craned its neck as it bellowed, before looking forward, it's claws bared and ready for battle against its brothers. The spectators gasped, while Pegasus chuckled softly to himself. Conversely, Kaiba was seething with rage. Again, he had to lower his hand, he was shaking so hard.

"Wheeler," hissed Kaiba with total venom in his voice. "Do you honestly think you can beat me with a Blue-Eyes White Dragon? Much less beat two of them!" Both of Kaiba's dragons were roaring down Joey's, the trio all possessing equal attack strength.

"Maybe not right now," said Joey with all the cockiness of a spaniel. "But this card…" He pulled another card out of his hand, ready to play it. "Will vanquish your dragons once and for all!" Almost in slow motion, he flipped it around, revealing it for Kaiba to see. It was the same card he had drawn back three turns ago when his Flame Swordsman dominated the field. "Dragon Nails!" Kaiba growled under his breath, already aware of the advantage it gave Joey.

"With its added support, a dragon gets 600 points stronger!" Smiling with full composure, Joey slapped the card down on the other side of Copycat, where the duel ring's computer registered it. Out on the field, sparks of light bubbled out of the claws of Joey's Blue-Eyes, before they burst out, revealing two sharp metal accessory claws over the Blue-Eyes' own. It roared at the arrival of its new accessory, it's Attack Points incrementing all the way to a whopping 3600.

"Excellent work, Joey." Pegasus clapped slowly for the young duelist, showing his enthusiasm for the combo Joey had pulled off. "You've amassed a monster stronger then anything Kaiba has in his deck!"

"Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, obliterate!" The power-boosted dragon reared itself forward, charging an attack with even more power then it would have otherwise. "White Lightning!" The attack launched, from all sides, straight towards the center of Kaiba's field.

The second Blue-Eyes was wiped away by the blast, it's body flying off in chunks that were atomized. It roared as it struggled to keep itself steady, but eventually every fragment of it was erased. Kaiba shielded his eyes as it was eliminated from the field, lowering his arms only when the blast had subsided. At the same time, his Life Points went down, stopping only 50 points away from defeat.

"How do you like that, Kaiba?" Joey raised a fist, jeering towards the company present. "I've made better use of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon then you!"

' _And with both of us on our last few Life Points,'_ thought Joey, looking down at the board where his counter showed 150 and Kaiba's 50 in contrast, _'I plan on making the pressure even tougher for you!'_

* * *

 **For those of you confused as to how Swordstalker's Attack Points increased by ¼ of the fallen ally, while in Episode 22 when Kaiba was facing Yugi it simply increased by 20% of his own attack, that was a translation error. In the original Japanese version, it was said to be ¼ of the fallen Ryu-Kishin Powered's attack, but since that was 400, and 20% of Swordstalker's Attack Points is also 400, it didn't matter for that episode. I tend to not mind most of the dub changes, but I'm naturally not too fond of errors like that. It can be seen in many other episodes, where the original refers to phases and chain priority, amongst other things, while the dub does so without using any of the game terms.**

 **For the curious readers in the crowd, you may be interested to know that this section of the duel was originally slightly longer, with two extra turns. They took place right after Joey's Flame Swordsman was destroyed, but before he set Kojikocy and Kaiba drew his third Blue-Eyes White Dragon. All that happened there was Joey setting a monster and Kaiba destroying it with his one Blue-Eyes on the field, revealing it to be Masaki The Legendary Swordsman. This episode was getting marginally too long, and since it was just a round of defense fodder, I figured those two turns could go without harming the chapter at all.**

 **This episode also has the dub-only scene from the equivalent anime episode where Pegasus reflects on his past with Cecelia while watching the duel, but since that scene was only put in because that episode was too short otherwise, and this was the right length, I gave it the axe too.**


	4. Mimicry! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Part 2

**Best Of Rivals, Best Of Duelists**

Chapter 4: Mimicry! Blue-Eyes White Dragon! (2/2)

"I don't believe it!" Tristan exclaimed. From above, two Blue-Eyes White Dragons stood across from either other, both with 2500 Defense Points, but Kaiba's only had 3000 Attack Points, while Joey's was at 3600. "I've never seen Joey with such a strong monster! Kaiba's dragon doesn't stand a chance!"

"Yeah, but don't count Kaiba out yet," warned Yugi. Joey's dragon roared down Kaiba's, its steel claws making all the difference in their respective strengths. "I'm sure he'll use everything he's got to save his Blue-Eyes."

"Wheeler," hissed Kaiba, lowering his cards down, flashing his eyes across the field. "You'll pay for taking my dragon. I'm gonna show you lack the skills to wield a Blue-Eyes!"

"Come again?" Joey humorously cupped a hand to his hear. "I lack the skills?" Joey put his hand to his chin, pretending to ponder deeply, which only served to infuriate Kaiba further. "Don't I have a stronger dragon and more Life Points?"

"Yeah, you keep telling yourself that!" Growling, Kaiba swiped up his next card. He glanced at it for a moment, letting out a growl in return. "I'll put this face down!" Kaiba slapped the card down harshly in his middle zone. "Now make your move, so I can finish you off!"

' _Man, Kaiba sure can't take this. He's getting more livid by the minute. Oh well.'_ Joey grinned to himself, plucking up his card.

"Last turn, Kaiba." Joey raised his head, ready to yell out his last command for the duel. "Now my Blue-Eyes will attack! White Lightning!" Joey's dragon responded accordingly, thrusting its neck out, and charging up an almighty attack to launch.

Kaiba scoffed to the side. "Predictable as ever, Wheeler. You've activated my face-down card." Kaiba shot his hand down, snatching the card he had laid and slamming it back down in a face up position, revealing a depiction of dark chains snaking around the canvas. "Shadow Spell!" Joey grunted in surprise, not knowing what this card was or what it might do.

Out of the floor around Joey's Blue-Eyes shot out numerous chains, uncoiling from nowhere. With a flash, Joey's dragon was pinned down, groups of chains coiled around each of it's limbs and many more around it's torso. It's attack neutralized, it roared, craning its head down at its trapped body apprehensively. At the same time, its Attack Points began recalculating downward, stopping at 2900.

"I don't want to immobilize my Blue-Eyes…" Kaiba paused, looking down at the display board. He gulped, and then looked back up, regaining himself. "But that's better then letting you control it, Wheeler!"

'It's still my turn, Kaiba!" Growling to himself, Joey plucked two cards out of his hand. "I'll set this face down," he began, placing one card down next to the Copycat card still using Kaiba's Defense Paralysis as his own, "and then I'll summon Garoozis in Defense Mode!" He placed a card depicting a scaly green dinosaur-lizard in battle armor carrying an axe above Dragon Nails. Out on the field, Garoozis rose out next to Joey's immobilized Blue-Eyes, his arms crossed in front of himself against any future attacks.

' _That's it,'_ thought Joey, sparing a glance at the one card in his hand. _'I've just about exhausted all my options.'_ He looked down at his deck, and then across the field, where Kaiba's unaffected Blue-Eyes stood tall. _'It's all up to faith now.'_

"Poor Joey," said Tea. "He had the duel won, and now…"

"He's in a really tough bind," added Tristan.

"Joey, believe in your cards!" cried out Yugi, craning his neck down to the crowded field. "If you keep your heart in the game, there's nothing you can't do!"

Feeling confident again now that his last turn had saved his dragon, Kaiba plucked up his next card. Upon seeing what it was, he lowered it marginally, and looked out to the field, right at Joey.

"Time to eliminate what's left of your Life Points," said Kaiba, with a smug look on his face.

"Huh?" Joey stared back in puzzlement. "With what?"

"With this, Wheeler." In one flash, Kaiba whipped his hand up, showing the card he had just drawn, which showed a key inserted into a magical padlock, with green smoke emanating from the keyhole in all directions. "De-Spell!" Across at Joey's tethered dragon, the sharp-clawed gloves on its claws began to glow white. "Say goodbye to your Dragon Nails boost!" The Blue-Eyes craned its neck downward, uttering a desperate strained roar as the silvery glow faded, leaving its claws firmly glove-less. It's blinked its eyes in desperation, as its Attack Points plummeted even further, down to 2300.

"Joey's Life Points are wide open to getting wiped out!" yelled out Tristan in desperation.

"Say your prayers, Wheeler," smirked Kaiba. He almost seemed to be towering over his own Blue-Eyes as he spoke. "Blue-Eyes, finish this!" On command, Kaiba's dragon reared back, ready to let a blast loose.

Joey scoffed to the side. "Predictable as ever, Kaiba. Now you've activated my face-down card." Joey picked up the card he had set, revealing it to show an anchor with a connecting chain leading off the card. Kaiba growled under his breath, getting a familiar sense of déjà vu. "Go ahead and let him have it, Garoozis." Out on the field, the chain anchor materialized, promptly grabbed by the sharp claws of Joey's monster. "Kunai With Chain!" Garoozis wheeled himself back, and then lunged his arm out, tossing the anchor forward while keeping a steady grip on the chain. Kaiba snarled in desperation, realizing his attack was about to get cut short.

Kaiba's Blue-Eyes roared a muffled roar in pain, the chain and anchor having wrapped itself around its mouth and muzzled it, cutting off its White Lightning attack. One by one, Yugi, Tea, Bakura and Tristan all gasped. The end result was Garoozis standing from his position with the chain keeping Kaiba's Blue-Eyes unable to move, while Joey's own Blue-Eyes was still immobilized and weakened by the Shadow Spell card.

' _I can't believe it.'_ Kaiba thought to himself through gritted teeth. _'That was actually impressive. Now both of our Blue-Eyes' can't attack.'_

Pegasus chuckled to himself at the same time, every thought of Kaiba's crystal clear inside his own mind. _'It would seem young Kaiba is beginning to gain some respect for Joey. I had a feeling he would see the light eventually. Now they much engage in a desperate tug of war to decide a winner!'_ Pegasus laughed deeply as he observed the field of two giant and restrained dragons and one lizard warrior.

Tristan breathed in relief, his heart almost having burst out of his chest. "I wish he'd stop scaring me like that!"

"That was a good play, true," mused Bakura. "But now they're at a stalemate. One of them is going to have to do something to tip things in their favor again."

While the others discussed the situation down below, Yugi was thinking hard to himself. _'Joey's used nearly all of his best cards. There's only one card that can save him now…'_ Yugi's thoughts briefly flashed back to himself plucking a card out of the Millennium Puzzle's case, and handing it out. _'If Joey believes… he can get it.'_

Joey plucked up his next card, looking between the two he now had. _'Neither of these can help.'_ He looked down to the Garoozis card that was placed sideways. _'It's risky, but I have no choice.'_

"I'll switch Garoozis to Attack Mode, and end my turn." Out on the field, Garoozis stood a little higher, readying his arms as though ready to charge, though he kept them firmly on the chain leading up to the muzzled Blue-Eyes.

"That's odd," wondered Tea up on the balcony. "Why would Joey do that?"

"I know," said Bakura. "That Kunai With Chain card increases the Attack Points of whatever monster holds it by five hundred points. That gives Garoozis an attack power of twenty-three hundred." Tea and Tristan looked down to the battlefield, where Garoozis stood, all his focus on the chain he had between his two hands. "But Kunai With Chain is also linked to the monster that wields it."

Yugi nodded in affirmation, confirming Bakura's statement. "Joey needs to keep Garoozis in play to keep Kaiba's Blue-Eyes from attacking. And since it only has a defense strength of fifteen hundred, it's safer in Attack Mode." Tea gasped softly looking down to the field again, understanding.

"That means Kaiba has a way to free his dragon," said Tristan, as they looked out over the field. "Joey needs to prevent that from happening."

Kaiba slowly reached for his next card. _'I need to make Wheeler attack me with Garoozis. But if I play a monster to lure it in, I'll lose the duel.'_ Kaiba pulled his card up. He started to himself upon seeing what it was. Slowly, he lowered it to the field, setting it down underneath his Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"I'm gonna lay one card face-down." Kaiba then reached back up to his hand, and plucked out the second card from the front of the five he had. "And…" Kaiba pushed a monster card out above the Shadow Spell card, the same monster he had drawn six turns prior when facing down Joey's Flame Swordsman. "Throw Ryu-Kishin Powered, in Attack Mode!" Out in the middle space next to Kaiba's restrained dragon appeared a dark pink gargoyle covered in sharp talons. It hissed a low roar upon appearing, baring it's black claws.

"And that'll do it for me," finished Kaiba, staring straight ahead.

"All right, my move!" Joey reached down to his deck, hoping that he would make a good draw. Grinning in hope, he yanked it up with patience. His eyes' widened in surprise and ecstatic shock.

' _Ah, yeah!'_ The card in question was a monster card showing a small yellow dragon cuddled up yet clearly ready to show his power. Joey looked up and across the field full of two large monsters and two somewhat smaller ones.

"Okay Kaiba, time to kiss the baby." The card Joey had just drawn was slapped down sideways above the space where Kunai With Chain was currently placed. "Go, Baby Dragon, in Defense Mode!" Out on the field, next to the restrained feet of Joey's Blue-Eyes, a stream of yellow light unveiled Baby Dragon, who unfurled himself into play, crossing his arms in front of his small but muscular body.

"That's all, folks." Joey looked back up across the field, where Kaiba was pondering his move. Above, the others were too.

"How come Joey didn't attack Ryu-Kishin with Garoozis?" Tristan asked with perplexed confusion in his voice. "Kaiba's monster only had sixteen hundred Attack Points."

"Don't forget, Tristan," said Yugi almost on autopilot, but still with passion in his voice, "in order to attack, Garoozis would have to release Kaiba's Blue-Eyes from Kunai With Chain. Kaiba wouldn't bait that unless he felt confident his monster would be safe." Yugi's eyes lowered to the flashing zone behind Kaiba's own Blue-Eyes. "I have a feeling I know what card he placed face-down last turn, and I'll bet Joey does too." The rest of the group gasped softly, looking back down over the field.

"Hey, Kaiba," said Joey suddenly, not speaking harshly, but with a surprising gentleness in his voice.

"Yes?" responded Kaiba, not as gently as Joey but not as roughly as normal either.

"Just to let you know, it's been a real honor dueling you." Joey was not talking to Kaiba as an enemy, but rather as a great player. "You're a great duelist, and you earned your title as World Champion."

Kaiba actually let loose a small smile, though he was careful not to let it be too big. "Thanks. I appreciate that." They smiled across from each other, both of their dragons still groaning from being restrained.

"I know neither of us want to lose this match… but if I do, I'm glad we got to have it Kaiba." Joey brought his hand close and clenched it into a fist. "Now let's do our best, Kaiba, and finish this duel!" Kaiba nodded in affirmation, lowering his eyes to his deck.

"Wow, guys," said Yugi, having watching the brief break in the action. "I think Kaiba may have finally gained just a little respect for Joey."

Kaiba clasped the card of his thinning deck between two fingers and pulled it up. His eyes widened upon seeing what it was. _'Perfect.'_

Looking down, he lowered it to the field, slotting it down on the other side of Shadow Spell. "I play Mesmeric Control!" The card showed a human hand swinging a ball on a string, with a hypnotic quality to its rhythm and the waves behind it.

"Oh no!" cried out Yugi. "That can weaken a monster!"

From Garoozis' point of view, all he saw were entrancing waves that merged around each other. His eyes began spinning, and as they did, he wobbled from side to side, though he kept his grip on the chain. However, his Attack Points dropped down, stopping only at 1500. Joey groaned in anxiety, knowing that Garoozis was wide open now.

"Attack Garoozis now!" Kaiba yelled. Grunting, Ryu-Kishin Powered launched itself forward at Joey's mesmerized lizard. Garoozis could do nothing except stand there. The gargoyle readied a claw swipe, and then struck.

Yelling hard as the strike snapped it from its trance, Garoozis stumbled backward and broke. Right after he broke, the chain he had been holding began shattering link by link, until finally the part wrapped around Kaiba's Blue-Eyes broke. In response, the Blue-Eyes let out a bellowing roar, thrusting it's head around in a loop before sticking it out again, ready to do some serious damage. Joey shrunk back in fear, while his own Life Points trickled down to 50, the same as Kaiba's own counter, who was grinning.

"You played hard, Wheeler, but this is where it truly ends!" Kaiba threw his arm to the side as he spoke. "On my next turn, my Blue-Eyes will wipe you out!" Joey watched as both Kaiba's dragon and his gargoyle bore down his own two dragons, one chained up and the other too weak right now.

"I don't ever think I've seen such a lengthy duel," remarked Bakura. "They've truly used every trick they have."

Yugi nodded. "This next turn will decide the match."

' _I'm all out of moves.'_ Joey looked down the two cards in his hand, Battle Warrior and Armored Lizard. _'Neither of these can help… and all I've got out there is Baby Dragon and my trussed Blue-Eyes. Neither of them can take out Kaiba's Ryu-Kishin, let alone his dragon!'_ Joey lowered his eyes to his deck. _'There's only one way to find out the outcome of this duel.'_ Joey slowly lowered his hand to his deck.

For a moment, he seemed unable to grasp the card, groaning. Finally, he snapped his eyes open, and pulled it up. Readying himself for the worst, he raised it up to take a good look. As he did, Kaiba narrowed his eyes, waiting.

Joey's mouth curled upwards. "Unreal!" He stretched his arm out, unbelieving at what had just happened. "I pulled the one card in my whole deck that really can finish this duel and decide a winner!"

Up on the balcony, the four watching people gasped. "Did he pull…" breathed Yugi.

"Here it comes!" Joey whipped the card down, and in a flash it was on the field, right below Baby Dragon. But not just any card. It depicted a clock magician with a purple cape and boots, and carrying a wand with a special timepiece at the end. "The Time Wizard!"

A streaming glow of yellow and white light hissed out on the field. Kaiba gasped in shock, for even he had heard about how this card had done wonders for Joey. "The Time Wizard?" echoed Joey's four friends up on the balcony.

The master of the past and future finished materializing onto the field, stretching his bendy limbs out as he did. All could hear the ticking of the Time Wizard as he floated behind Baby Dragon.

Joey smiled to himself, thinking of the irony behind the appearance of the Time Wizard there and then. _'Kinda strange that this long match is coming down to a card that Yugi gave me, huh?'_

" _Here, Joey," said Yugi. Pulling the lid off of the Millennium's Puzzle's case, he plucked a card out of it, handing it forward. "Add this to your deck." He was holding the Time Wizard card, a card with unlimited power in the right hands. "It can be helpful in a tight spot."_

" _Wow." Joey gently took the card, lifting it up to eye level and examining it. "Thanks, Yug. You're always being such a pal to me."_

Back in the present, Joey fondly remembered each and every time the Time Wizard had pulled through for him. "Yugi was right," said Joey, not afraid of expressing this to Kaiba. "That card he gave me saved my keister quite a few times in this tournament. And now, with my Baby Dragon on the field, and both of us at just fifty Life Points… I'm gonna give it one last spin and hope it saves me again!" Kaiba watched with a focused expression, saying nothing.

"So cross your fingers, and get set to adjust your clocks." Joey held his clenched fist in front of himself, preparing for the move that would decide the match. "Because here it comes. Go, Time Roulette!" Joey threw his arm to the side, just as the Time Wizard floated a little higher, and held its wand out.

The arrow extending from the center of the timepiece began rotating around a clock with four segments showing a skull and two showing a positive red mark, picking up speed. Joey clenched his eyes as it sped past a red section. Kaiba did the same at it completed a lap yet again. Up on the balcony, Yugi, Tea, Bakura and Tristan all grunted a little.

After many laps, the arrow began to lose speed. _'It all comes down to this spin,'_ Kaiba thought, watching the whole process through clenched teeth.

' _Come on, Time Warp,'_ thought Joey, as the arrow began it's last lap, moving through the top segment.

The arrow clanked to a halt right at the halfway point of the two right skulls. It clocked forward again, finishing right in the middle between the bottom positive segment and the skull to the left of it.

Finally, it creaked upwards, slowing down before the border between the skull and the top segment. Right near the border, it stopped. For a moment, it seemed as thought it was finished. However, it suddenly clocked forward another bit, stopping right at the top, the arrow's tip directly pointing through the checkmark. A positive ring echoed out, signifying that the Time Roulette was complete. It has succeeded.

"All right!" Joey had his fist in the air in triumph. "Jackpot!" Kaiba grated his teeth, knowing what was coming next.

"Go, Time Warp!" commanded Joey, as the Time Wizard began floating backwards, thrusting his wand down. The space behind him was rotating through the magic of dimensions and time.

"Time… Magic!" The magician floated up, leaving the space of the time warp empty. But not for long, as Baby Dragon, cooing, floated up towards the shifting rift. He raised his head, while his body glowed white, a glow so powerful that it blinded the whole area. He was not the only one. Over on the other side, both Ryu-Kishin Powered and Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragon were glowing too.

When the glow faded, Baby Dragon was no more. In his place was a large brown dragon, with aging hair and wrinkly, scaly skin, none of which hindered him. Roaring, he craned his neck down, glaring across the field from in between his legs. Boasting Attack Points of 2400 and Defense Points of 2000, he was the equal to the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He was Thousand Dragon.

The glow around Kaiba's monsters also faded, but it was not a pretty sight. Ryu-Kishin was crouched over his zone; his skin a pale pink and fleshy to the touch, for he had survived aging a thousand years. But the Blue-Eyes was far worse. Its skin was no longer blue or white, but instead a pale and sickly grey. It was slumped on the ground, unable to lift any part of his body. Its strength had deteriorated, sporting a mere 100 Attack Points, as did Ryu-Kishin Powered. They lacked the strength to even move, let alone attack.

' _All right.'_ Joey leaned forward, observing how far both his dragon had come and how far Kaiba's monsters had fallen. _'I can hardly believe it.'_ Joey brushed his arm over his eyes, brushing tears out of them. He lowered it after a while. _'This is it.'_ Joey looked through the gap between Kaiba's two aged monsters, where Kaiba stood with his cards, observing the scene without motion. _'I'm really gonna do it._

' _All I gotta do, is attack… and I'll have actually beat Kaiba.'_ Joey continued to stare in shock, shock that he had defeated all of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes White Dragons.

"I'm gonna win!" Ecstatic beyond belief, Joey stuck his fist out, ready to deliver a command. "Attack, Noxious Nostril Gust!" Grunting as he did so, Thousand Dragon threw his head forward, spurting a powerful stream of fiery smoke. The attack bore straight at Kaiba's weakened Blue-Eyes, dead set on annihilating it.

"I counter with Negate Attack!" Right in front of the Blue-Eyes, the air rifted unmistakably into a dimensional portal. As soon as Thousand Dragon's attack hit, it phased through, the corresponding section of air swirling as it did so.

"Huh?" Joey leaned forward, unbelieving of what had just happened, while the last of the fiery smoke faded through the rift. "Where's my attack go?" Thousand Dragon growled at this, not otherwise moving in reaction.

Up on the balcony, Yugi gasped, at the same time finding proof to his earlier theory. "I knew that was the card he set earlier!"

"I had set this card to protect Ryu-Kishin Powered, Wheeler, but you didn't fall for that." Joey watched through the gap of Thousand Dragon and his own Blue-Eyes as Kaiba spoke. "But it can work here too!"

"That card only lasts one turn, Kaiba!" Joey was not yelling angrily, merely being informative. "Next turn, I'll attack again!" Kaiba let out a grimace, glancing down at his hand. "And I'll bet you don't have a single card that can help you!"

' _He's right.'_ From left to right, Kaiba has Mystic Horseman, Crush Card Virus, Polymerization and Saggi The Dark Clown, none of which could help. Kaiba looked down at his deck, having little more faith in it. _'And I don't have another monster strong enough to destroy his dragon.'_ Kaiba slapped his hand onto the deck, knowing that for real, it would all be over. _'If you exist, Heart of the Cards…'_

"I can't believe Joey's actually going to beat Kaiba," said Tristan slowly.

"Truly extraordinary," added Bakura. "This duel had more twists and turns then I thought was possible in a duel."

After what seemed an age, Kaiba finally lifted up the top card of his deck that was now only half as thick as it was at the start of the duel. He looked at the card for a moment. Lowering it, he then looked out to the field, straight at Joey.

"You fought a valiant duel, Joey… but this ends now!" Joey gasped in shock, not knowing what card Kaiba had drawn, but knowing only that it would spell doom for him.

"I play Monster Reborn, and revive the one Blue-Eyes White Dragon still in the Graveyard!" As Kaiba spoke intensely, the remaining Blue-Eyes rose out dramatically, roaring as it appeared beside the weakened Ryu-Kishin and counterpart of itself.

' _It's over.'_ Joey had his hands pressed down on the display, as a tear fell from above onto them. Up above, his eyes were shielded, while his mouth was in the shape of a growl. Suddenly, it turned upwards, into a smile. Joey raised his head to look up, not afraid of defeat. He closed his eye briefly, and a single tear dropped out and away in slow motion, as he opened it again.

"Kaiba… go for it!" Joey clenched a fist in appreciation of the situation, smiling across at his rival. "It's cool!"

Kaiba nodded in agreement. "All right! Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaiba's unaffected dragon roared in response, rearing its head back. Joey grinned, bracing himself, while Kaiba looked straight on.

"White Lightning Attack!" The Blue-Eyes finished charging up it's burst stream, opening it's mouth as it prepared to let it loose. Pegasus watched with a stoic face as the glow of the attack danced over him.

The burst stream seemed to arc through the air in slow motion, turning as it made it's way towards its target. Yugi, Tea, Bakura and Tristan all gasped, the glow of the attack dancing over them too as they could only watch. Thousand Dragon stood still as the attack finally reached him, spreading blinding light everywhere as it hit its mark.

The radius of the attack spread further, engulfing the dragon's wings and tail as it spread out to the trussed Blue-Eyes still on Joey's field along with the weakened dragon and gargoyle on Kaiba's and his revived dragon. The attack's glow was so vast that it engulfed the vicinity in front of Kaiba's revived dragon, trails scattering everywhere, as the glow finally encompassed all.

When it faded away, Kaiba was standing there, looking straight ahead with nothing but a static face. Joey was doing the same, no disappointment in the lines of his face at having lost.

"I tell you," said Tristan, from up where he and the others were, "that was really tough to watch.

"Yeah," added Bakura, just as equally shocked. "Well, just imagine how Joey must be feeling."

A tear hit the balcony near where Tea's hands rested. "I'm just glad it's over. Tea was finding it hard to keep her eyes open. "I'm so proud of Joey." She reached up to her face, wiping water out of her eyes. "He dueled his hardest, but never once forgot to play with honor."

Down below, Pegasus eyed all this with a sly smile. He grunted, turning his head down. _'Well, touching as that may be, you really ought to save your tears, little girl.'_ He stood up from his chair, and began walking around and past it. _'After all, you'll be needing them once I face Yugi in the dueling arena… after Kaiba, of course.'_ Pegasus walked past Croquet and vanished from sight, ready to take down both of the duelists he had to face.

* * *

Above Duelist Kingdom, the storm clouds had parted; leaving a sky that was a clear blue, and far more hopeful for it.

"Well Yugi, we knew that one of us had to lose." The seas that lay a distance form the castle churned softly, moving past the lush growth of the island's forest's and fields. "But the good news is that one of us got to advance, too!"

"Congratulations, man. Here, this is yours now!" Joey held out his tournament identification card, which showcased a king's worth of jewels and gold.

Yugi grunted in confusion, while the other three watched Joey, who was resigning himself to what he had to do.

"Go ahead. It's all yours. You show Croquet this card," said Joey, which prompted more small gasps from Yugi and the others. Yugi looked from Joey down to the card he was holding out. "And he'll give you three million bucks in prize money!"

"No, Joey." Yugi pushed Joey's card back towards him gently. Joey grunted, bring it back up to himself. "You should keep it," smiled Yugi. "Your sister needs that money."

"Yug…"

"I didn't enter into this tournament to get rich, Joey," said Yugi calmly to his best friend. "I'm just here to save my Grandpa, and help Kaiba. Please, use this money for Serenity's operation."

Joey blinked, surprised at what was happening. "Yugi…"

"Joey…" Tea looked on affectingly.

"What do you say, Joey?" asked Yugi. Joey's shoulders were shaking by this point.

"Hey, it's what you've been wanting, buddy," said Tristan, smiling across beside Bakura.

"Look at him, always playing the tough guy," smiled Tea. She suddenly grunted in surprise upon looking back into Joey's face.

Joey's whole body was shaking as he looked at the card. A fountain of tears was streaming down out of both of his eyes. He raised the card up, briefly, shielding his face. "Yugi…

"When I lost the duel… I lost all hope of saving my sister." Joey continued to sob, hunched over and unbelieving that he was still going to get what he had come for. "Yugi… thank you." Yugi nodded in affirmation, happy at his friend's pleasure but also preparing himself for what was to come.

"Now go and take down Pegasus!" Outside, rays of sunlight shone over the castle and it's surroundings. They seemed to be a beacon of hope for the tough challenge ahead. But at the same time, they were a beacon of hope for friendship, respect and love, for those were things that, just one or all of them, had carried the people through that match and all the other before it, and would the same for the ones to come.

But before Yugi got to duel for his Grandpa's soul, Kaiba would get to duel for Mokuba.

* * *

 **And after this, the two episodes where Kaiba duelled Pegasus for Mokuba's soul would happen nearly exactly as they do in the show. After he fails, Yugi would duel Pegasus, and thereafter there would be no differences from the show.**

 **Much like last chapter, this section of the duel was also trimmed by two turns, right after Kaiba's turn where he set Negate Attack and summoned Ryu-Kishin Powered, but before Joey's turn when he summoned Baby Dragon. In both of those turns, both Joey and Kaiba drew and passed, possessing no cards to alter the stalemate they were currently in. As a result, their hand cards towards the end had more originally, with Joey having Tiger Axe after Armored Lizard and Battle Warrior, and Kaiba having Hitotsu-Me Giant before Mystic Horseman (which he drew during the removed turns last chapter) and Trap Master on the other side, leaving him with a hand of six cards that couldn't help him. Like before, excising these two turns and the resulting hand cards didn't affect the duel at all. In fact, I feel both this edit and the previous one keep the pace better.**

 **It feels so good to get to finally get this up and done. I love the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime despite all the flaws it has, both dub flaws and flaws common to both the original and the dub, so this was a love letter. But wait - there's more!  
** **Ever felt annoyed that the duel between Joey and Yugi right after Battle City was never shown, and the only indication of the result was that Joey was seen using his Red-Eyes Black Dragon again afterwards? Well, be annoyed no more - I'll be doing that next! Like this duel, it will be a duel that uses as many of their cards in one duel as possible, but will still only take two episodes, with much less sideline commentary given they they duel without spectators. It's not fully finished yet, but I will still be able to publish it at one chapter a week, so hold on to your hats, folks!**

 **Also, just as I finished up the fanfiction, I was struck by an idea for the duel structure - altering the duel so all three Blue-Eyes were on the field already when Kaiba played Monster Reborn, and he was forced to revive Joey's Red-Eyes Black Dragon and attack the Blue-Eyes Joey had that was weakened by Shadow Spell. Though this was greatly appealing to me for the irony in Kaiba having to use someone else's cards, something he would never do otherwise, I figured it wasn't worth the effort to rewrite the whole duel for that. The major change that would have resulted in is omitting Defense Paralysis from the duel fully, and instead have Copycat used to copy Shadow Spell so both Joey and Kaiba has a chained-down Blue-Eyes weakened by 700 ATK points, while the third Blue-Eyes would still be restrained by Kunai With Chain. Other changes would have followed logically, such as:  
\- La Jinn being the one destroyed by Joey's Shield & Sword trick, such that Giltia destroyed Battle Ox instead the following turn, leaving Kaiba 100 LP weaker.  
** **\- The first Blue-Eyes appearing a turn earlier while Giltia was in Attack Mode and wiping it out without the need for Defense Paralysis (and thereby leaving Joey with 50 more Life Points after the attack).  
\- Joey playing Red-Eyes in Defense mode when he set Chasm of Spikes, destroying the first Blue-Eyes in an identical manner. Kaiba responded by setting Rude Kaiser in Defense Mode, intending for it to be destroyed to power up Swordstalker like he did in the actual duel (though there he would have preferred Judge Man, as that would have increased Swordstalker's ATK to 2550, as opposed to 2450).  
\- After Joey destroyed Swordstalker with Flame Swordsman boosted via Salamandra, Kaiba had to defend with monsters for a few rounds. Naturally, he did not draw Crush Card Virus here, as since he could defend he could have used it with Saggi easily, and Joey would have had no way to stop it. Some of the monsters he defended with could include Hitotsu-Me Giant, Mystic Horseman, Saggi the Dark Clown, Grappler and Trap Master. This would have let us see all of Kaiba's known cards in the duel, whereas in the actual version we missed a few (Ancient Lamp, Grappler, Hitotsu-Me Giant and Trap Master). As Joey would have had a larger hand towards the end as a result, we would have also seen more of his cards that we did not in the duel (Masaki the Legendary Swordsman, Tiger Axe, Leogun, Glass Man, Battle Steer and a Rude Kaiser of his own).  
** **\- Kaiba plays Judge Man later in Attack Mode alongside the two Blue-Eyes to lure Joey into attacking so he could finish him off, and Joey later attacks Judge Man with the Dragon Nails-boosted Blue-Eyes he took via Graverobber (3600 - 2200 = 1400 LP loss), but Kaiba uses Gift of the Mystical Elf to raise his Life Points by 1200 prior to the attack (the four monsters being Judge Man, Kaiba's two Blue-Eyes and Joey's Blue-Eyes), such that he only lost 200 LP, going from 250 down to 50.  
\- Joey would have also set Kunai with Chain and played Garoozis in Defense Mode after that attack. When Kaiba drew and used Shadow Spell the following turn on Joey's Blue-Eyes, Joey would have used the same Kunai With Chain combo seen in the actual duel to immobolize it. Joey would have then drawn and set Copycat. When Kaiba drew and used De-Spell, Joey would have they used Copycat to copy Shadow Spell, tying down Kaiba's other Blue-Eyes.  
\- And as Time Wizard would have weakened both of Kaiba's Blue-Eyes, that would have left him with no choice but to take Joey's Red-Eyes, as nothing else in either player's Graveyard would have had more then 2300 ATK points to destroy Joey's trussed Blue-Eyes, winning the duel.  
**

 **As a result, while Joey's Life Point decrease would have been almost identical:  
2000 - 1900: Axe Raider (ATK 1700) destroyed by La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (ATK 1800).  
1900 - 750: Giltia the Knight (ATK 1850) destroyed by the first Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000).  
750 - 700: Red-Eyed Black Dragon (ATK 2400) destroyed by Swordstalker (ATK 2450, raised by 450 from Rude Kaiser being destroyed the previous turn and 1/4 of that being absorbed to Swordstalker's power).  
700 - 200: Flame Swordsman (ATK 2500, raised by 700 via Salamandra) destroyed by Kaiba's second Blue-Eyes.  
200 - 100: Garoozis (ATK 1500, lowered by 800 via Mesmeric Control, raised 500 by Kunai With Chain) destroyed by Ryu-Kishin Powered.  
100 - 0: Joey's Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 2300, lowered by 700 via Shadow Spell) destroyed by Red-Eyes Black Dragon.**

 **Kaiba's would have been a bit different:  
2000 - 1200: La Ginn (ATK 1000, swapped with DEF via Shield & Sword) destroyed by Lava Battleguard (ATK 1800, swapped with DEF via Shield & Sword).  
1200 - 1050: Battle Ox (ATK 1700) destroyed by Giltia the Knight (ATK 1850).  
1050 - 300: Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3000) destroyed via Chasm of Spikes and 1/4 of Blue-Eyes ATK being inflicted to Kaiba's Life Points.  
300 - 250: Swordstalker ****(ATK 2450, 450 of that from Rude Kaiser being destroyed the previous turn and 1/4 of that being absorbed to Swordstalker's power), destroyed by Flame Swordsman (ATK 2500, raised by 700 via Salamandra).** **  
250 - 1450: Raised by 300 for every monster on the field (Judge Man, Kaiba's two Blue-Eyes and Joey's Blue-Eyes).  
1450 - 50: Judge Man (ATK 2200) destroyed by Joey's Blue-Eyes White Dragon (ATK 3600, raised by 600 via Dragon Nails).**

 **Another idea I had was Joey destroying the first Blue-Eyes by using Dragon Nails and Shield & Sword with Red-Eyes, given that Chasm of Spikes is a overpowered anime-only card that only appears in Joey's duel against Keith, clearly designed to reduce Keith's LP by enough so Joey's final move later would inflict just enough damage to win. Instead, Joey would have set those two cards and summoned Red-Eyes, destroying Kaiba's Judge Man that Kaiba had played in Attack Mode as bait. Upon Kaiba attacking with Blue-Eyes the following turn, Joey would have first used Shield & Sword to flip their attack and defense points, making Blue-Eyes' ATK 2500 and Red-Eyes 2000. Joey would have then used Dragon Nails to raise Red-Eyes' ATK to 2600, winning the battle. The flip would have been reversed at the turn's end, allowing Red-Eyes to destroy Rude Kaiser and then be destroyed by Swordstalker as above. However, this used the two cards I used for most of the damage to Kaiba's Life Points in a combo that, while effective, only cost him 100 LP. I wanted Kaiba to win with just 50 Life Points left, and I could come up with little other way to reach that if this was done, except for him being so stubborn that he refused to place monsters in Defense Mode. And as stubborn as Kaiba is, he's way too smart to not do that when he has to. Still, it would have been a pretty cool combo. Maybe it can be used again in the future!**


End file.
